Get By With A Little Help...

Probably the largest aspect of our lifestyle is the friends and family we hang around. These individuals influence us daily or weekly, as we influence them as well. We have conversations with them about things  that are silly, current events, social items and things that are important to us. We look to these people in time of need for support and to support them when needed.

There is a theory that you are the average of the five people you are closest too or spend the most time with. Think about the people you hang around, what do they do, how do they act, how do they treat people? When you mention eating better or working out how do they respond? Are they supportive? Do they put you down for it? Maybe they ask questions because they are interested as well. Do these people party every weekend, are they good to their kids, do they treat people well, do they try to stay active, are they what you want to be?

As we move through life many people go in and out of our lives. We stop hanging around someone, then don't text or email as much, then we wonder how they are doing because we haven't talked to them in a while. Other people are in and out of our lives over the course of time. We might not see them for a few months but pick back up like we saw them yesterday. While still others are constantly there, always keeping in touch with us in some way.

There may be a time when tough choices have to be made. You may end up cutting down time or cutting out certain people, even family members. At the end of the day you have to take care of yourself first. Even if you put the kids first or friends first, if you don't take care of yourself, how can you take care of them?

There is good news though. There are people like you out there. There are people who want to start being active, people who want to be active like you and others who are more active and set a good example. There are people who talk the talk and walk the walk of a healthy lifestyle. But even they sometimes need support, even from someone like you.

I have noticed the past few months many online chat rooms, Facebook pages, and communities where people get together and discuss things important to them. These topics range from exercising and eating right to taking care of the kids and many other positive things. These people support each other, give each other new ideas, encouragement and improve the quality of each other's lives just by being there. There are people outside the computer, meet up groups, friends, family, neighbors who are into those same things you want to be or are involved in. Seek them out. Someone I know who never ran finished their first 5K and was supported the whole time by people they didn't even know. Its such a good feeling to have that backing and encouragement, it might even make you want to go further. You might even inspire them.

It has been suggested in the business world that if you surround yourself with successful people, you too will be successful. I think this works in life as well. Look for those people and we will be there. Then we can all get out and GET SOME!

You are getting sleepy....

Do you get enough sleep every night? If you are like many people I know your answer will be: no I don't. Sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle especially when you are involving any level up to strenuous exercise. The body needs time to rebuild and recover so it can come back stronger and prepared for the next challenge. Sleep not only helps to recharge your body, but more importantly, your mind.

Do you need more sleep?

For the physical benefits of sleep you may want to consult your physician. Leaving your body fatigued leads to stress, lower energy, and an all around less active day. Another negative of fatigue can lead us to putting negative substances in our bodies to offset the effect such as sugary energy drinks. From reading articles and researching sleep I have found that a good night's rest allows for muscle recovery, building of muscle and time for the immune system to fight off disease. Other benefits can be found here: Benefits of Sleep, WebMD

On the mental side, sleep can also allow the brain to recover. It allows for better focus and memory retention. I'm sure everyone would all like to remember things a little better. Sleep can also help with work productivity. If we have less to worry about at work we can enjoy our time outside work much more. Our non-commitment to taking care of sleep is addressed by James B. Maas, PhD who said, " If we treated machines like we treat the human body, we would be accused of reckless endangerment." More on the topic of sleep and the brain can be found here: APA Strengthen your brain by resting it.

But you have problems sleeping, can't get good rest, and/or always feeling tired the next day. One of the most helpful items I have found on this is turning off the t.v. It's amazing when things are quiet you can sleep better. Even with the volume down, the flashing light from the screen is picked up by your eyes causing your brain to still be active. This includes your must-have-to-live smart-phone. Turn it off, put it away, if you worry about emergencies set it on the other side of the room where you can still hear it ring. Get it away where you won't see the flashing light, check it in the middle of the night or have alerts going off all night. Go to bed at the same time every night. Or close to it. We all have changes in schedules but if you can get consistent, you're body will take the hint and know when to start shutting down. The same goes for the morning, get up at the same time everyday. I am up at 6 am, yes, even on the weekends. Your body may acclimate to it and you might not even need an alarm clock (though I wouldn't recommend that). Other sleeping tips can be found here: A Good Night's Sleep

I am not a doctor but the benefits of sleep are obvious. Consult your physician, research on your own and add making sleep important to your new lifestyle and then get out and GET SOME!

Lifestyle in Eating

As we discuss lifestyle changes the most important is the attitude. One other big aspect is eating habits. I am not a licensed dietitian or nutritionist. I will however, give you some ideas that have worked for me and provide links to sites that will help you understand nutrition and good eating habits.

If this is your first time looking at how you eat there are two very important items that I believe help. The first is understanding that a "diet" is how you eat, not a short term solution to weight loss. Why would you eat healthy (or sometimes unhealthy) for a short time to get results only to return to old habits which will lead to how you were to start with, in need of a diet? You must realize your diet is how you eat, all the time. The second thing you can do is find out what makes up your diet. Many of us don't realize how much or what we eat. Keeping a food journal is a great way to find that out. Get a notebook that will fit in your pocket and write down everything you eat through the day. Try to estimate portion sizes as well, even if its as simple as a large plate of spaghetti. After a week sit down and review how you ate. See where you can make changes. You might need to cut back your overall food consumption. You might need to change from so much fast food to packing a lunch. You can find little areas to begin improving.

I think the easiest way to change eating habits to have a good/better diet is to do it one piece at a time. An entire diet change make be too much for some people to handle. If you are a cold turkey kind of person then by all means, make the entire change at once. For those others, we should start with the essence of life, water. Most people don't drink the recommended 9-13 glasses (its not 8 anymore) of water a day. Water is free and easily transportable.

Next is making food changes. Many people think eating healthy has to be expensive. Here is a link to help with that: www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-on-budget.html. Now, start taking items out of your meals or snacks and replacing them with healthy alternatives. Instead of a candy bar or bag of chips mid afternoon, have an apple or banana. You might try celery with peanut butter. Possibly replace regular pasta with multi-grain pasta and then to whole wheat. If you are interested in gluten free diets I suggest speaking with your doctor to see if you need one. Less then 1% of people are allergic to gluten according to some studies. You might be better off with whole grains getting their full benefit. WebMD talks about gluten allergies here: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/wheat-allergy.

Don't be drastic in my opinion. Have days where you eat a brownie with ice cream. Have that extra creamy cheese sauce on your pasta sometimes, but the majority of the time make the conscious effort to eat healthy. You might even learn that healthy foods actually taste good and you like them. My 8 year old's favorite meal is salmon and broccoli. I love that.

I highly suggest once you have moved to proper eating habits you instill those in your children as early as possible. If children grow up without putting too much salt on everything they won't miss it when you try to cut it out of your diet. If they grow up eating healthy foods they will be used to it and it will be a part of them. There will be less arguments about eating fruits and vegetables verses more french fries. And with you setting the example, they will learn the right things. Good job mom and dad.

There are many places you can learn healthy eating habits. Speak with your doctor, use www.choosemyplate.gov, and other medical or government sponsored sites. Choosemyplate also has sections for weight management, tracking tools, and physical activity. Share meal ideas with friends who are eating right too. You could even have a healthy food idea night and have friends bring different dishes to share.

After fueling up with a healthy meal, get out and GET SOME!!!