Fitness & Wellness

To get the best results and a diet that you’ll stick with or a healthy eating plan that’s good for you for a lifetime, you need to tailor your diet to you. Some of the tailoring is important for more than just taste preferences. Some people can’t digest certain foods properly, lactose and gluten intolerance are examples of that. There are also food allergies that affect the type of food on your diet. List all the foods you can’t eat because of health reasons first.

Add in the food preferences.

Not everyone loves oysters, some people rave about them, while others gag watching people eat them. That’s a distinct food preference. Now if you hate vegetables, you’ll be out of luck because every healthy diet needs fruits and vegetables, so skipping those is not an option. Find either new healthy ways to cook vegetables or combinations you like raw. That’s super important.

Make sure the diet contains all the essentials.

A healthy diet should have a lean source of complete protein at each meal, vegetables at each meal and for snacks in between, healthy fat at least once a day…avocado sounds great…plenty of water throughout the day an consist mostly of whole foods. Whole foods are foods that are closest to their natural state and have been processed very little. Whole foods contain far more nutrients than processed foods, so you get more nutrition without having extra calories.

Identify the times you overeat.

Everyone has an eating trigger. Some people reach for a donut when they’re tired, while others soothe their stress with sugary treats, chips or fries. If you know what your trigger is and how you appease it, it’s easy to find a healthier substitute. If you grab a bag of chips when you’re angry because you like the crunch, pack raw vegetables and have it ready for those stressful times. Do you want to drown your sorrows in Ben and Jerry, low fat yogurt could be just the trick. Are you tired and need a lift. Try water. That’s right. Cold water will wake you up faster than coffee or sweets.

Identify the foods you love and find ways to make them without the fat and calories. Vegetable lasagna is delicious, but it’s made with zucchini instead of lasagna noodles.

Try a new low calorie treat each week. Be adventurous. Try mangosteen or other exotic fruit you may never have tried. There’s a whole world of interesting foods that are both healthy and delicious.

Create your personalized diet with several smaller meals, such as six. You’ll feel less hungry and have more energy.

If you’ve had one of those days where every muscle in your body is screaming from the tension, you don’t have to reach for the ibuprofen to relieve your headache. It probably won’t help that knot in the pit of your stomach or bring the relief you hoped to achieve. There are stretches that relieve stress, however, which can do the trick and have you feeling better in no time.

Relax your shoulders and neck.

Many people, particularly those at a desk job, start to feel stress in their shoulders and neck. In fact, people with TMJ may actually get relief from massages to the muscles at the back of the head and even stretches for the neck. If you’re sitting in a chair, put both feet flat onto the floor and sit up straight. Your feet should align with the outer edges of your shoulders. Put your hands behind your head, interlocking your fingers. They should be at the base of your neck. You’ll be holding that position as you tilt your head forward and slowly squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold it for about 15 seconds, release and push them tightly together three more times. You’re feeling better, aren’t you.

Another neck and shoulder stretch to do.

The neck and shoulders is often the area where people feel the pain the most, with the back being next in line. You need to stand for this stretch, keeping your knees slightly bent. Drop you head until your chin touches your chest. Put your hands behind your head and push down. You’ll feel it slightly stretch. Hold that position and breathe in and out normally several times. Slowly raise your head and repeat about five times. You’ll feel the difference.

Stretch those back muscles and leg muscles.

This can be a lifesaver if you have an achy back from stress. Lay on the floor with your knees bent. Hold a rolled towel with one end in each hand. Lift one leg, extending it upward and putting the towel either behind your heel or on the arch of your foot. Gently pull your leg toward you, feeling the stretch. Hold it and then relax, doing the other leg.

Do a push away for upper back relief. You can do it standing or sitting. Interlock your fingers in front of you with your arms parallel to the floor. Keep your neck relaxed and round your back, pushing your hands forward with the palms facing outward. Hold, breathe in and out slowly, relax and repeat.

To relieve lower back stress, sit in your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Lean over and grab your ankles with both hands. You’ll feel the stretch in your lower back. Hold that position for a few seconds and then repeat several times until it no longer feels tight.

While it’s not exactly a stretch, this one does relax your hands. Bend your arms at the elbow with your hands up. Relax your hands and shake them by moving the forearm slightly forward and back quickly. Shake them side to side too. They should be like limp rags. You’ll feel the muscles relax.

Try a breathing exercise for overall relaxation. This yoga style technique works every time. Close your eyes and focus your attention to your breaths, breathing in slowly through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Spend a few minutes doing this and you’ll chase away overall stress.

If you want to be rich, find someone who is rich and follow their habits. If you want to be healthy, learn the habits of healthy people and mirror them. It’s a simple method to helping yourself to a world of good health and fitness. One of the easiest habits to mimic, particularly if you workout and sweat, is to drink plenty of water. It chases away the mental fuzziness, makes you more alert. While the average is about two liters or eight 8-ounce glasses, some people need more on days they profusely perspire. Carry water with you at all times and sip on it frequently.

Exercise is another important habit.

You didn’t expect me to skip this one did you? I preach the health benefits of exercising all the time. People who are the healthiest get about 30 minutes of exercise each day. While it may not be at a gym, they’re always moving. One study showed that while 150 minutes was adequate exercise to bring health benefits, 170 minutes or more each week was even better.

Healthy people eat healthy with loads of fruits and vegetables.

It’s harder to get all the nutrition you need today. Studies show that many of the nutrients are in shorter supply, since our fruits and vegetables contain less than they did just 20 to 30 years ago. To make matters worse, pesticides are often found in fresh fruits and veggies, plus there’s the threat of GMO foods. Start by avoiding processed food. Do yourself a favor and select an abundance of organic fresh fruits, vegetables and meat or protein source for your diet. Consider grass fed beef and eggs from free range chickens to maximize the nutrition. Create a meal that has a wide selection of different colors to provide the most different types of nutrients.

They laugh a lot and enjoy the company of others.

Healthy people are often social people. They smile more than twice as much as the average person, according to studies. Smiling activates the pleasure center of the brain and provides a bigger response than even chocolate. One smile is produces a reaction in the brain center that’s the equivalent of eating 2,000 chocolate bars…and it contains no calories! In fact, a study at Wayne State University in 2010 that used the player cards of Major League baseball players from 1952 found that those who smiled in their picture had a life span five years longer.

Healthy people meditate. While they might not call it that, they have a method, whether it’s through breathing or just mindful mental calming, which lowers blood pressure and stress levels.

Healthy people are always learning. They keep their mind active and stay interested in the world around them.

Healthy people start their day like a cat, with a good stretch of all their body parts.

Healthy people have good sleep habits. Exercise can help you sleep, but good sleep hygiene, which includes going offline and shutting down the television, is up to you.

When you try on beach wear do you feel like your body has turned against you and intentionally looks bad just to mock you. You don’t have to put up with it any longer. You can take control of your body and make it behave and look like you want it too. It takes effort on your part, but well worth it in the end. You just have to persevere until your body looks like you want. I’ll help you with the right type of exercises and a healthy eating regimen.

Never surrender to fat.

You may be at wits end thinking that you’ll be forever trapped in a body that’s overweight and out of shape, but I say nonsense. Even if you’ve failed to shed pounds before, it doesn’t make you a failure. It means you either know what doesn’t work or what throws you off track to the perfect body. I’ll work with you to insure you stick to the program and provide motivation until you see results. Results are the real motivator and with my program, you’ll get them fast.

Dedicate a month to sticking with the program.

If you think about dedicating a lifetime to exercise, it sounds overwhelming when you’re first starting a workout and healthy eating program. Instead, set a one month devotion to fitness. Take your measurements and weight when you start. Notice how long it takes before you run out of steam. Work your hardest for one month and stick to it. If at the end of the month you want to quit, feel free to do that. I guarantee if you follow my program to the letter, that won’t happen because you’ll see fantastic results.

Plan to go shopping after a few months.

Start putting away a few dollars a day for a big shopping trip. You’ll need to do that because none of your clothes will fit after a few months. Start today with that in mind and enjoy the process that gets you there. If you had loads of weight to lose and no “skinny” clothes in your closet, you may find that trip is necessary after just a month or two.

Only you can make the difference. I can provide the plan of exercise, healthy eating and motivation, but the success or failure all depends on you. Stick with it and you’ll tame your body.

Notice your energy level growing. The body is amazing. The more you work it, the more energy you seem to have. You’ll get work done faster while you’re losing weight and even want to become more active.

Love the feeling that comes with a good workout. While you’re working out, enjoy the daily effects that make it worthwhile. You’ll feel amazing after a workout since it burns off the hormones of stress and replaces them with ones that make you feel good.

Enjoy your new way of eating. You won’t starve yourself and probably will eat more than you normally would. Best of all, the food tastes fantastic and helps you shed pounds.