Friday, December 30, 2011

Quote of the day

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.  ~World Health Organization, 1948

Thursday, December 29, 2011

The 7 Steps to Health

As originally published by the Canadian Cancer Society, 2005 (www.cancer.ca)

  1. Be a non-smoker and avoid second-hand smoke.
  2. Eat 5-10 servings of vegetables and fruit a day.  Choose high fiber, lower fat foods.  If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to 1-2 drinks a day.
  3. Be physically active on a regular basis: this will also help you maintain a healthy body weight.
  4. Protect yourself and your family from the sun.
  5. Follow cancer screening guidelines.
  6. Visit your doctor or dentist if you notice any changes in your normal state of health.
  7. Follow health and safety instructions at home and at work when using, storing, and disposing of hazardous materials.


I challenge you to ask yourself these questions:

  1. How many of the seven steps do you follow? If there are some you don’t follow ask yourself why not?
  2. Most people do not follow all seven steps to health.  Identify at least two reasons you think this is true.
  3. What steps should be taken to promote better health practices in your own life or the lives of those you love?



Remember anything worth doing is worth fighting for and anything that helps to create a better you -is worth doing.  

Quote of the day

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.  ~Doug Larson

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Quote of the day

"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness."
Dalai Lama

New Years

New Years is only a few days away, and while we gather our plans and ideas on how we will be celebrating the end of 2011, in the backs of our minds we are making a list of possible resolutions.  Yes, that dreaded word -resolution.  Maybe this year you are really going to follow through.  This is the year that you will get in shape, eat healthier, find a better job, or some other extreme that will seem easily within reach at the dawning of the new year, but will slowly pull away from you three, four, maybe even six weeks in -if you're lucky.  There's a problem with making lofty goals that you plan on starting the first of the year.  Sure your list may be long and you may feel dedicated and determined; but, making too many changes all at once will eventually begin to wear and that dedication and determination will quickly begin to fade and vanish altogether. 

Let's use a hypothetical (yet rather typical) resolution list: 1) lose weight, 2) eat healthier, 3) exercise 4) have more me time.  Now this list, I know, is rather short but I just want to give an idea on how to implement resolutions for a more successful year.  Maybe you got a new treadmill or gym membership for the holidays -or are planning on it.  You might think that by combining eating healthier with added exercise, I'll be able to lose weight -and there go two things checked off the list -right?  Well, you are correct in that exercising and choosing a more beneficial diet will in the long run help you to lose weight.  But here's where people fail.  January turns into gluttony of healthy food choices and too much exercise leading to resolution burn out by as late as the second week in February.  You no longer want to look at another salad, and the exercise equipment becomes a hanger for discarded clothing or the gym membership gets lost beneath a pile of excuses -oh, and that plan for more me time well it never even had a chance.  Try as you might, you just can't motivate yourself to that same level of intensity until once again the year comes to a close and it is time for new resolutions.

Here's the solution.  Rather than going whole hog the first month and half, take time to actually make a plan of execution.  Introduce things slowly, through careful planning and implementation.  Take your 2012 calendar and mark off every six weeks.  Why six weeks?  Because on average that is how long it takes for an individual to set a good habit that will stay with them.  Decide how you want to start.  Do you want to slowly introduce that exercise you know you desperately need, or do you want to start with the healthy eating?  Whatever your choice, pick two or three days out of each of those first six weeks to commit yourself to your choice.  Let’s say you choose to exercise.  That first day you shouldn't exercise (unless you really want to) but rather you should do some homework.  What type of exercise do you want to do?  Have you always been interested in yoga? or maybe skiing, zumba, or kettle bells?  Whatever it is make sure that you find it interesting and fun.  Research cost.  Would you be more willing to actually do the exercise if you went somewhere or at home?  Will you need to buy equipment, DVD's, or get a membership?  Knowing what will be involved both physically and monetarily will help you make a choice that you can keep; and don't be afraid to go out and try them all -as long as it's in the budget.

After your first six weeks, you have been exercising an extra two or three days per week, you probably have already started to see changes physically and emotionally.  Now you are ready for your next six weeks -eating healthy.  Taking a look at your calendar once again add in another two or three days, these could be on the same days as you exercise or different days, how you decide is completely up to you.  Again take that first day and research.  Really understand what it means to eat healthy.  Are you a good cook or do you burn water?  If you burn water then you might want to look into a few adult community education classes on cooking.  They're not all that expensive and are offered just about any where there are public schools.  For these next six weeks, you will continue to exercise and experiment with new foods in a manner that will allow you to learn to enjoy them, rather than like last year where you didn't eat another salad or filet of fish after February. 

Now we are twelve weeks into the New Year.  You've managed to beat your resolution keeping record of years past as now we are into April.  The weather is probably getting warmer (depending upon where you live in the world) making this next six week period the perfect time to implement your “me” time.  Granted if you look at all that you have accomplished up to this point you will have probably come to the conclusion that you have done a ton of me time.  Anything that you do to improve your health and life is and should be considered me time, but we all feel the need for something that is separate so it feels special and definitely "me" time.  For "me" time I would recommend one day a week.  Again take the time to research what you would like to do for you: meditation, a scenic walk, bubble baths, or going out with friends.

By this point you've been exercising for twelve weeks and are probably starting to wind down in motivation a bit.  I would recommend taking another day to research new activities, especially if where you live the weather is warming up and it's a lot nicer to go outside.  Changing up your routine will keep you motivated well into the summer months.  The next time you will want to research activities will be in the fall.  With the coming of spring, I would also recommend that you look into all that spring and summer have to offer in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Going to a local coop will allow you to eat a more seasonal diet.  After eighteen weeks you have found a routine at this point you can decide to change it up by adding more days or moving your days around.  Just keep going following these healthy habits and healthy steps to keeping your resolutions.  With all this work on keeping three of your resolutions you have automatically helped yourself to keep your first resolution.

Good luck with this year.  May you have successful resolutions!

Remember anything worth doing is worth fighting for and anything that helps to create a better you -is worth doing.  

Today's Scenic View