Forty-five percent of Americans will kick off their 2017 New Year’s resolutions January 1st. The top three New Year’s resolutions year after year are to lose weight, get healthier and be more organized. Without a plan and strategy to achieve your resolution, this is merely a statement and outcome goal that doesn’t lend itself to behavior change. Creating new healthy habits take time, commitment, planning and action. To help you overcome obstacles, achieve and sustain your resolution, follow these 5 tips for New Year’s resolution success.
Start with what you are willing to do and take the path of least resistance. You got this! Inch by inch it’s a cinch—pun intended! Happy New Year! ©Kathryn Scoblick www.healthinspires.com Health Inspires.
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Have you ever had that day at work or in any part of your life when somebody takes a cheap shot at you in e-mail or to your face? How you decide to process this and how you respond makes all the difference in the world. Keep your positive attitude and keep creating, progressing and sharing your smile. Here are the Top 10 Ways to stay at your best, give your best and not let others’ moments of ugliness affect you.
Health Inspires. The American Heart Association just published their recommendation of added sugar limits for children and it is the same for women. Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/american-heart-association-issues-recommendations-kids-sugar/story?id=41588639 Added sugars are found listed on the ingredient panels- not the food label and are found in processed foods. They come in many forms and they look like this: Sugar, Sugar Beets, Cane Sugar, Agave syrup, Honey, Brown sugar, Brown Rice Syrup, Cane juice and Cane syrup, Maltose, Confectioners' sugar, Corn sweetener and corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, Dextrose, Fructose, Fruit juice concentrates, just to name a few. The AHA suggests an added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams of sugar) for most women and now for children, and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men. There are 4.2 grams of sugar in a teaspoon. Do the math and you can see how many grams of sugar on the food label. If the ingredient panel doesn't have "added sugars" then you will know that if the food label has sugar grams listed, that those are "natural occurring." What you get in an apple- with 18 grams of naturally occuring sugar is vitamins, mineral, phytochemicals, fiber and the power of that whole food that you will never find in a processed food...I do not care what the food label TRIES to tell you. Choose real and whole food. Protect our children from future disease. Health Inspires. As a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, I want to see you succeed in the mastery of your wellbeing. That means health and wellness for you in all things mind, body and spirit. The fundamentals of wellbeing are the same for all of us. What we do to get there, is different for each of us. My hope for you is that you find some new healthy habits that you are willing to stick with for the long term. Although you might start looking pretty good…the real prize is your health and wellness. How to Achieve your Goals in 7 Steps:
© Health Inspires. I gave a nutrition and fitness talk last week and the question came up about the cost of eating healthy. I love to answer that question. The real question might be to ask, “What is the cost of not eating healthy?” I will let you think about that one to create meaning around that for yourself. For these purposes, I am going to focus on what I shared with this audience. That is to say that this statement in general, is a myth. I shared the example of the cost of green beans as measured by cost per serving. To illustrate this point for you, I pulled the chart from a USDA resource. Green beans are a healthy and whole food. Let me show you how they measure. Green beans—Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent, 2013 Form Ave. retail price Size of a cup equivalent Ave. price/cup equiv. Fresh $2.14 per lb. 0.276 lbs. $0.70 Frozen $1.67 per lb. 0.298 lbs. $0.55 In general, this cost is not more than processed foods, and green beans offer so much more nutritionally than what you might find in a packaged bar. Let’s say you want to have green beans, grilled chicken and farro for dinner tonight. Maybe even a small spinach salad to go with that. That may sound like a lot of food, but per serving, it makes a really healthy and cost efficient meal. Also, you can prepare your own dressings and marinades with olive oil and lemon, etc… I estimate this meal to cost no more than $5.00-$6.00 per serving for a family of 4.
…and then you have leftover of spinach and farro leftover and possibly some leftover chicken that you can make tortilla soup with. The cost to prepare tortilla soup is about as much as two cans of chicken broth, a large can of whole tomatoes, celery, onion, avocado, some cheese if you have it, and some crumbled chips if you have them…so what do you think?….about $2 or $2.50 per serving? That is two meals for a family of four at $7 per person or $3.50 per person each meal. The real cost is your time. You have to shop, plan and prepare foods, cook and clean up. The key to success for time, money and health savings is planning and prepping. Luckily, grocery stores prep many fresh foods for us and for that we pay premium. If you find yourself throwing out fresh veggies that spent too much time in your fridge wilting, then it might be worth the extra penny to purchase the already prepped veggies. Another method, and the one that I adhere to is to “always be prepping”. When I come home from grocery shopping, I put most groceries away and immediately start cutting up or peeling fruit and veggies to have those ready and available for meals. I also start preparing my “go to” foods then. A few thoughts on planning ad preparing cost efficient healthy meals for the busy person that you are:
Consider how much you spend on real food vs. packaged food and you may discover that it isn’t the real food that we are spending our money on. © Health Inspires.
I had the privilege of seeing and hearing Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., our 19th Surgeon General of the United States speak on March 3rd. For me, it was like waiting in line for my favorite sold out concert. It actually was sold out, I begged for tickets and that didn’t work. Then I found out I could go early and wait, while I hoped there would be an extra seat available. It worked out! He is America’s doctor, even though many of us thought that was Dr. Oz! I wanted to share three of his inspiring thoughts with you. Although this was a lectureship on childhood obesity, the words apply to all of us. He said:
He is probably the first mind, body, spirit Surgeon General of the United States. His words bring people together and his thoughts are simple. I am grateful I was able to be there. Having our needs met is a necessity. When our needs are not being met, we sometimes engage in less than healthy behaviors. We want to be well. That is to say that being well describes this buzz word “wellness” and wellness is being in a state of wellbeing, and wellbeing is when you are in good emotional and physical health, especially when supported by healthy lifestyle habits, including a healthy diet and exercise. Mastering your wellbeing takes practice, practice, practice every day. To master your wellbeing means that you make equally important your sense of purpose, life satisfaction, practice of gratitude, health, diet, and physical activity among other lifestyle habits. The kindness I see and hear about on a daily basis in America is remarkable. The media might consider covering more of that. The kindness I see in our educators with our children, and with our nurses that give of themselves each day to the most vulnerable is heart warming. I like to focus on the kindness and good in the world. Many of us are care givers in various degrees. It might be in the form of nurturing a relationship, or helping a friend in need. The big question is, are you caring for yourself and allowing time for you? We all have the same fundamental needs and buckets to fill. We are also different from each other and we fill our buckets in different ways and with different things. Do you know what goes in yours? If you do, fill them with constructive things. If you don’t know at the moment, focus on what is working in your life, keep practicing gratitude, spend some quiet time listening, and it will come to you. Dream big and take a step! That will fulfill the Surgeon General’s request of focusing on the mind, body and spirit. It will also fill you up. Health Inspires. Not everybody practices the rituals of the Lenten season. Lent is observed by catholics and many Christians, and is a time to reflect and make positive changes in their life for the better, through prayer, fasting and charity. Lent means "spring" or "new birth." No matter what your spiritual belief, spring is a time to start fresh. The sun comes out, we tend to feel better and we are compelled to clean house…whether literally or internally. It is so often that we “give up” something for the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday, and then we go back to the same routine. Not this time. This season, I offer you a state of mind that reduces stress and anxiety, blood pressure, helps you sleep better and helps you maintain a more positive disposition. You may be thinking this sounds like a new diet or exercise regimen, or maybe you think it sounds like the results of getting 8 hours of sleep each night. Yes, all of these things offer the same benefits. However, the daily ritual I am speaking of is gratitude. The mind, body, spirit is connected. Studies show that we can create a new normal for our mind. We can bounce back to a positive state more easily once we have established a new peaceful and positive “baseline”. We bounce back to our new normal faster and deviate from it less. Practicing gratitude, in essence, is no different from what physical exercise does for our muscle strength and mind. It is no different from what a healthy diet provides in mental clarity and a healthier physical state. Gratitude is no different from what eight hours of sleep offers in terms of clarity and mental capacity. It makes us feel good and helps us focus on what is working in our lives. Like any other habit, one must practice it until it becomes automatic. This Lenten season, I am in, with my family, for 40 Days of Gratitude. Do it with us! 40 Days of Gratitude:
Whether you are planning for your spring renewal through Lent (begins February 10th this year) or in your regular spring ritual, play for life this time. Practice gratitude for 4o days and you will create a beautiful ritual that makes you feel good, brings you peace, helps you handle stress better, and takes not extra time, money, or energy. As a matter of fact, you will have more energy and peacefulness. Gratitude is powerful. It makes you stronger, it broadens your perspective and opens your mind to possibilities. That is for the greater good. Health Inspires. Gratitude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ7SEAnGRD0 This last day in January is your day of lifestyle change commitment. Choose two-three of these January 2016 Daily Victories that you enjoyed and realized, “I can do this”! Your action item for today is to continue those good habits. You will find that more good habits will follow because success breeds success. It is how we are made. Health Inspires. Are you still drinking more water than you have in the past? Focus on drinking more water and less sugar or artificially sweetened beverages. The general rule is about 8 , 8 oz. glasses per day (although that recommendation used to be the hard and fast rule...now that 8-8 concept is full of caveats). The bottom line is, water is what you are made of and that is what your body needs to function properly and healthily. It facilitates every system in your body including every cell and every organ. Make it convenient and available, make it cold, bring it with you, put it in a measurable bottle or glass so that you know you are drinking enough. Make it a habit. Health Inspires. It's Friday! That means the weekend is upon you and so are all the things we think of as rewards which might include food. Today, plan which of your meals this weekend will be your treat. You may have Friday lunch plans out with (work) friends, Friday night plans for pizza with the kids, Saturday out with friends and Sunday brunch. That is a lot of eating out! How can you do all of that eating out out without ruining the benefits of all the healthy choices you made this week? By deciding now, and choosing one or two of those meals as your treat. It looks like this: salad at lunch on Friday, 1 slice of pizza Friday night with a salad, Saturday might be the night you have your favorite because you are going out (control portions but have your favorite; share or split...), then Sunday brunch is eggs with veggies and fruit on the side and seconds are a thing of the past. You can have it all, without having it all. Health Inspires. |
Kathryn ScoblickMy passion and purpose is helping people reach their full potential and master their wellbeing. Categories
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Disclosure: Always consult with your physician or other qualified health care provider before beginning any diet or exercise program and ask whether you are healthy enough to engage in a diet and exercise program. Never disregard, avoid or delay in obtaining medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider concerning your overall health and wellness, including your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. It is your choice to follow the suggestions, opinions and advice given by a Health Inspires wellness coach.
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