fbpx

Category Archives for "health"

Should you do 30 day challenges?

Should you do 30-day challenges? If you have an interest, there are quite a few to choose from. Just hop on the internet briefly to see the wide range of options. Challenges for crunches, sit-ups, pushups, and lunges—the list goes on and on.

These challenges may sound intriguing. There’s no doubt that they have the potential to be beneficial. After all, anything that gets you moving, working, and focused on getting something done can do wonders for your health and mindset. There’s also an interesting accountability aspect to these challenges. You’ve committed to 30 days and theoretically, you’d like to complete this manageable goal. It’s especially beneficial if you can participate with a friend. This gives you a partner to hold you accountable. Your motivation to complete the challenge, coupled with consistent, daily activity, has the potential to build a positive habit.

However, you must be clear on your health and fitness goals to determine whether one of these challenges really makes sense. If you’re interested in improving your kayaking, participating in a push-up challenge may not correlate directly with your goals and may not be worth your time and effort. You must also consider your plans for the conclusion of the 30-day challenge. Are you looking to make it an ongoing habit? If not, then it may not be worth pursuing. What happens if you miss a day? Some people may just quit the challenge entirely. If you tend to give up easily after a slip, again, the challenge may not be worth your while.

So, should you do 30-day challenges? If you’re committed to health and fitness and have a challenge in mind that is aligned with your goals, then a 30-day challenge might be a good fit. It may help you build positive fitness habits and can put you in a better health position over time. However, if the challenge is not aligned with your goals, you may want to pass.

Self-made wellionaire | Jill Ginsberg

April 22, 2016

Let’s live happy | Deborah Heisz

Today we talk with Deborah K. Heisz, author of Live Happy, Ten Practices for Choosing Joy. She, along with founder Jeff Olson, leads the company that produces Live Happy, an award-winning bi-monthly print and digital magazine, Livehappy.com and Live Happy products.

We discuss with Deborah how we normally approach happiness as a destination or an end point.   Conventional thinking is that if we are successful, we will be happy.   It is the search for that destination, and when we finally arrive there, we believe that end point will make us happy.  However, we should flip our thinking and approach life with the attitude that we should be happy now, as it is happy people that then find success.

Deborah’s book outlines ten practices to live happy along with stories that parallel those practices.   One of her favorites is to reflect at the end of the day by writing down three positive things from your day. By making this practice a habit it positively changes our attitude.

The great thing about happiness is that it also correlates to our health.   If we don’t make our health a priority really cheats ourselves and everyone around us, but it is usually what busy working parents do.   By not doing that, it affects both our mental and physical health.    Small, incremental changes to the way we think and approach both happiness and fitness leads to positive attitudes and adoption of positive habits.

Learn more about Debra Heisz through her website, books, blog and podcast.   Debra is featured on Live Happy Now, a weekly podcast featuring uplifting and unique interviews with researchers in the field of positive psychology, practitioners and experts on their own personal happiness journeys. Join her in the movement to make the world a happier place, and let’s live happy!

 

http://www.livehappy.com

Healthy brain happy life | Dr. Wendy Suzuki

April 15, 2016

Is soy good for you?

Is soy good for you? It depends on who you ask. In fact, there are two schools of thought. Plant-based diet proponents are pro-soy because it’s the only plant based protein that is a complete protein. Those who follow the paleo diet are of the opposite opinion.

There are also some possible issues with soy. The phytic acid in soy binds with minerals when consumed. This prevents your body from absorbing them. This could be an issue if you already have problems with anemia. Another reason one might stay away from soy is due to lectin. Lectin is intended to keep seeds intact when an animal eats it. This could cause gut walls to become inflamed or other immune issues. Isoflavones are another possible issue with soy, as these are plant estrogens. Plant estrogen is similar to human estrogen. There are also questions about whether this could cause cancer. Soy was also made a more viable product when it became Round Up-friendly. In fact, 90% of the soy produced in the U.S. in genetically modified. People with thyroid issues should also be cautious, as there are some indicators that show that soy can mess with the absorption of thyroid medication.

Though cancer is a concern with the plant estrogen in soy, some studies have shown that soy may actually reduce the risk of prostate and colon cancer. When making a decision about whether or not to use soy, it’s important to know your current risk profile. Everyone is different, so the decision to consume soy is not a “one size fits all” answer.

Not all soy is equal. Stick with nutritionally dense fermented soy and avoid any type of processed soy. Include tofu or soy milk in your diet. Be sure you’re reading all food labels so you can make an informed decision. As long as you are looking for the most nutritionally dense foods you can find, you’ll be eating less, and losing body fat. So is soy good for you? That is truly for you to decide.

 

Is margarine good for you?

April 13, 2016

Is margarine good for you?

Is margarine good for you? Often times, one’s first response would be no. But is that a programmed response from years of being fed certain messages?

Margarine actually has an interesting history. In the late 1860s, Napoleon III put out a contest for someone to develop an artificial butter, as shortages of actual butter were common. The idea was introduced to use beef fat instead of milk fat, along with colorings to make the substance yellow. Thus, margarine was created. Today, margarine is a little different, as it has switched over to using vegetable oil to reduce the use of saturated fat. Over time, many variations of margarine have developed, including several spreads.

How do you know if margarine is right for you? Ultimately, you have to make your own choice. You need to be critical of what you see and read the ingredients on the labels. Just because something is labeled as not having trans fats, it may just be that they don’t have enough to have to report it as an ingredient. Some margarine also notes that is non-GMO, yet an ingredient listed on the label includes soy. We know that 90% of the soy in the United States is a GMO product, so this is another question area. Other ingredients such as artificial and natural flavors may prompt you to wonder about their health impacts.

So is margarine good for you? The choice is yours. If you want to cut saturated fats, look into margarines. Be sure to read the labels and make an informed decision. Remember that hard margarines may have some sort of saturated fat, so it may be better to stick with softer margarines. Use the minimum amount possible or try to go without margarine completely. Be aware of what you’re putting in your body. Only then will you be able to make the best decision for you.

 

Is soy good for you?

April 6, 2016

Strategies for staying healthy and fit while traveling

It can be difficult to stay fit while traveling, as there are many distractions and obstacles to overcome. However, if you keep a few pointers in mind, it is actually quite easy to stay on track with your fitness routine while on the go.

The main struggle that many people face when traveling is related to food. Airport or gas stations have largely bad choices—cookies, chips, and candy bars. The key is to plan ahead. Bring food with you. If you’re travelling by car, this is easy to do with the help of a cooler. It’s also important to research food options of where you’re traveling. You may even have the ability to cook your own meals in your hotel room, depending on your accommodations.

Another obstacle is working out while on the road. To make sure you stick with your fitness plan, it is crucial that you pack your workout clothes to hold yourself accountable. Do a little research on the hotel gym or local gyms to see what might work best for you. You can always opt to do body weight workouts instead. If you’re a runner, try to find some local trails and enjoy an added opportunity to see the city.

It’s also important to ensure that you’re monitoring your hydration, both for over hydration and dehydration. You need to make sure your body is getting sufficient electrolytes and sodium so that the moisture is absorbed by the body’s cells. If you’re on a long international flight, it’s important to get up every 30 minutes to move and stretch your legs. This will help prevent possible blood clots.

Travelling can be a stressful experience. You can mitigate this stress by recognizing your triggers and finding practices to manage them, such as meditation, getting a massage, or enjoying the outdoors. Make sure you get enough sleep and try your best to mimic your normal sleep ritual at home. By taking these simple steps, you can help to ensure you will stay fit while traveling.

A secret weapon in your health and fitness journey

Health and Fitness Apps

In today’s episode, we explore smart phone apps and their usefulness to support your health and fitness journey.   As background, I found it useful to solicit feedback from a user group in order to get a broader overview into the apps that many people are using concerning health and fitness.

Smart phones are great tools and we can use them to enhance our health and fitness. Many of the apps do continually change and often the functionality in one app is similar to the functionality in another app.

In this episode, we discuss the variety of food and nutrition apps which allow you to track your food intake, calculate and track calories and nutrients.   We also discuss the wide variety of fitness apps, such as those that are specific (running apps), those that provide exercise videos and training guidance.   There are also apps that act as timers for HIIT (high intensity interval training) and Tabata workouts. And let us not forget out mental health, and there are apps designed to guide you through the meditation process or those that provide white noise. While not necessarily apps, we also explore activity trackers that can sync to an app so you can have real time monitoring of your activity levels.

I encourage you to do the research and explore the wide variety of health and fitness apps that are available for your smart phone.

The bone broth diet | Dr. KellyAnn Petrucci

Dr. KellyAnn Petrucci is our guest today for a great discussion concerning bone broth and intermittent fasting. Join us as we explore her new book Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet: Lose Up to 15 Pounds, 4 Inches–and Your Wrinkles!–in Just 21 Days.

Kellyann Petrucci, MS, ND, is a board-certified naturopathic physician and certified nutrition consultant with a thriving practice in the Philadelphia area. She is also a concierge doctor for celebrities in Los Angeles and New York. She is a regular guest on The Doctors, Dr. Oz, and national news programs, and she is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and MindBodyGreen.

Kellyann uses bone broth and the fasting process to help you burn more body fat, reduce insulin levels and lower inflammation.   She discusses how during a fast with bone broth for nutrition our bodies burn fat faster and experience benefits to the skin.

We discuss how you can set yourself up for success by knowing what to expect when your body experiences changes when adopting a different lifestyle or way of eating, particularly with intermittent fasting.   We explore the concept of building your plate with the right proteins, healthy fats and the right kinds of carbohydrates.   Refueling after a workout with the right foods, eating non-inflammation foods, healthy oils and berries are all factors in building the plate for health and nutrition.

Dr. KellyAnn Petrucci feels that the addition of bone broth to your diet is a healthy addition to your nutrition plan. She discusses the benefits to your energy levels and the positive, beautiful effects on your skin.   You can find out more from her website, Drkellyann.com.

Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music

Ayurveda meets western medicine with Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary

1 53 54 55 56 57 60