“IF YOU HAVE MADE MISTAKES THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER CHANCE FOR YOU. YOU MAY HAVE A FRESH START ANY MOMENT YOU CHOOSE.”
Mary Pickford
These are wise words from the famous actress Mary Pickford. Of course this advice applies to nearly every situation in our lives but at this time of year it especially applies to our health and fitness. Join another of our favorite actresses to get a fresh start and begin 2012 from a position of strength and determination. Marilu welcomes you to the site and invites you to please post your questions and share your own tips for success on the message boards.
We have some wonderful classes planned and hope you’ll consider joining us as we kick off the new year with the 10 steps of THM. We’re getting BACK TO BASICS…BECAUSE IT WORKS !!
The Total Health Makeover is based on 10 steps which, followed as a lifestyle, will improve your health and energy levels and make it easier for you to manage your weight. These will all be covered in depth beginning January 2nd in the member’s area. Here’s a sneak preview:
1. Watch for chemicals in the foods you eat. 2. Cut back on – and try to cut out – caffeine and nicotine. 3. Replace processed sugar with natural alternatives. 4. Limit – or eliminate – red meat. 5. Avoid dairy products (anything made from the milk of another animal). 6. Combine your foods for efficient digestion. 7. Reduce the fats you eat. 8. Exercise daily. 9. Get enough sleep. 10. Do everything with Gusto!
Many women don’t want to build up their muscles (what the guys like to call bulking up), they want long, lean muscles, like ballet dancers have.
The thing is, to get those “toned” muscles, you have to do the same strength and resistance training that’s required for bulking up. Don’t panic, ladies – you don’t have enough testosterone to get the “bulk” effect. But you do need to do the same work.
Overall strength and resistance training will increase your basal metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories at rest), thereby reducing your body fat content. And you need to reduce the overall body fat in order to see the muscle you’re building with specific exercises for specific muscle groups.
Here’s an example – you want toned arms. So you’ll do exercises to build and strengthen your biceps and triceps, but you’ll also work on reducing your overall body fat percentage with other exercises, so the fat on top of those muscles starts to melt away, showing off the muscles underneath.
Get moving! Now that school is starting, lots of gyms and community ed programs are starting their fall classes.
A good night’s sleep is critical to your good health, so what can you do to make it happen?
A good bed * We don’t always realize how bad our old bed is until we get a new one. If your mattress is more than 10 years old, consider a new one.
A good pillow * There are different styles of pillows for the different ways we sleep. Get two (or even three) different pillows, and switch them up (even during the night). And get new ones every couple of years. They get buggy (and you don’t want to know any more than that).
Clean, fresh linens * We’re hearing good things about bamboo sheets – especially if you’re dealing with night sweats. The bamboo fibers breathe better.
Room temperature * If it’s too hot or too cold, you won’t sleep well. Use a fan or an extra blanket when you need it. Fresh air is good, but not always practical (when it’s -20F at night, you can’t have the windows open! No matter what health guru tells you to do it!).
Stretch your body * Slow, gentle stretches before bed will help work out the kinks of standing in the kitchen or sitting in the living room… or sitting in the driver’s seat.
Clear your mind * Look at your calendar for the next day and do what you can to prepare – set out your clothes, pack lunches, get breakfast together, sign permission slips, find instruments and gym shoes, pack your gym bag, etc. Write out anything that’s bothering you. Make a gratitude list. Kiss and hug your loved ones. Say your prayers.
Here’s some Celtic meditation music that helps us relax before bed. Use it to accompany an evening gratitude meditation, or breathing exercises, or gentle stretches, or prayers.
We saw this as we were skating around the internet. Kinda scary.
Fancy putting your daughter off her food? Then buy her Maggie Goes on a Diet, a children’s book aimed – according to Barnes & Noble, one of the many booksellers on whose website it is currently listed – at six- to 12-year-olds. [...]
The book tells the story of 14-year-old Maggie, who according to its blurb “is transformed from being overweight and insecure to a normal-sized teen who becomes the school soccer star”. It’s not out until October, but so disquieting is the cover image that perhaps we may, in this case, allow ourselves to judge the book by it. Maggie is depicted as dumpy, pigtailed, wearing an unflattering jumper (has nobody told her that wide lateral stripes aren’t a good look when you’re carrying a few extra pounds?), staring into the mirror, presumably dreaming of a thinner self who will one day wear the tiny pink prom dress she’s holding wistfully to her chest.
There are better ways to teach your kids about health – starting by modeling healthy behavior yourself, and always emphasizing lifelong healthy eating habits over dieting. The book does get one thing right – being physically active (in this case, involved in sports) is good for kids.
While the author probably has good intentions, there are better health messages for kids aged 6-12.
Toss a slice of citrus fruit in your glass – try lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit. It adds just a little zing. Or try other fruit – like strawberries or blackberries or melon. Or go crazy and use cucumber (it’s better than you think!). Or try herbs like mint or basil in your water.
Aim for drinking half your weight in ounces of water each day (up to a maximum of 100 oz/day). So if you weigh 150 lbs, that’s 75 oz of water. If you weigh 200 lbs, that’s 100 oz of water. If you weigh 120 lbs, that’s 60 oz of water. And remember – it’s HOT out there; you need to drink water!
Remember back in the 90′s when those little spiral quotation books were all the rage? We had one on our kitchen table, and we used it with our children every day (they were young; we were trying to cover all our bases in the great experiment that is parenting). Our quotation book was called “3 Words a Day” and there were some 3-word sayings that stuck with all of us. Our favorite was:
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.
There are fancier ways to say it, but we like that this one doesn’t mess around (and what an easy reminder to use with kids – no judgment, no blaming, no shaming – just a reminder of the truth). How you choose to look at the world and what you choose to project will make or break your experience of everything you do and everything you are.
Marilu says “Work the coat” – project your best in everything you do and go for it.
Even when you’re facing a bad day or a difficult person or a big challenge, your positive attitude and willingness to put your best effort and best face out there makes a huge difference. Go for it.
And we’re not even including quitting smoking or using sunscreen daily. Check out nine more ways you can fight aging.
Not enough sleep * If you’re up watching late night television, you’re probably not getting the 7-8 hours of sleep you need each night to help fight high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, and looking and feeling old.
Too many sweets * Sugar not only adds pounds, it also makes your skin dull and wrinkled. Here’s the biology: There’s a natural process known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs, for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop; these damage surrounding proteins like collagen and elastin, which keep skin firm and elastic. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging. These aging effects start at about age 35 and increase rapidly after that (British Journal of Dermatology), so limit your sugar intake.
Stress! * Stress increases the concentration of the hormones cortisol and norepinephrine in the bloodstream, kicking up blood pressure and suppressing immunity. Over time, stress that doesn’t go away can delay healing, harden your arteries, and possibly shrink areas of your brain involved in learning, memory, and mood. Try deep breathing or meditation to relax consciously.
Sporadic exercise * It’s not just for losing weight. Research shows that vigorous exercisers have longer telomeres—cellular biomarkers that shorten as we age—compared with healthy adults who rarely work out. Being active consistently can help fight brain fog, reduce inflammation, and prevent type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions that crop up over time. Get moving for at least 20-25 minutes a day.
Big sound * Hearing loss usually develops gradually, but the more you play that iPod at full volume, the more quickly you’ll need a hearing aid. Keep the volume as low as possible, and use noise-cancelling headphones so you’re not using the volume to fight ambient noise. Use earplugs when you’re around other loud noises, like the lawn mower.
Setting friendships aside * Satisfying friendships predict longevity better than even close family ties, and they can protect against obesity, depression, and heart disease, among other health problems. Your friends keep you young—simple as that. Make time for friendships.
Skipping fruits and veggies * You’ve likely heard that antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies can help you stay young. These powerful compounds fight free radicals that would otherwise wreak havoc on your body and skin, damaging cells that can lead to cancer and make you look older. Antioxidants remain active for only a few hours and need to be continually replenished, so it’s a daily deal – even better at every meal.
Cutting the fat * Don’t cut out the fat; choose the smart fats. Stopping the artery-clogging saturated and trans fats is a heart-healthy move, and keeping the unsaturated fats, like those found in fish, nuts, and olive oil, is wise. Omega-3 fatty acids are the ultimate anti-aging fat, essential for protecting your brain, heart, bones, joints, skin, and more. Monounsaturated fats can lower bad LDL cholesterol, raise cardio-protective HDL cholesterol, and decrease your risk of atherosclerosis.
Not enough sex * It’s not just fun, sex is great for your health. People with active sex lives have stronger immune systems, less pain, a lower cancer risk, healthier hearts, and less stress. The best news: It can even make you look younger—up to 12 years, a study shows. So rekindle the romance between you and your partner.
A bribe is really something you get when you do something to make someone else happy.
A reward is something you get when you do something that makes you happy.
As a parent, you’ve probably bribed your kids into good behavior – or seen it at the grocery store. “If you’re good, I’ll let you pick out a candy bar at the checkout.” (Why not offer an apple after they’re paid for? But that’s a different issue.)
As an adult, you can reward yourself for doing your exercise every day, for drinking enough water, for eating 5 servings of vegetables each day, for dropping a dress size. Choose a reward that will motivate you to do your best. Here are some we love:
Jewelry * The good stuff. Maybe a charm bracelet with a charm for every reasonable increment (10 pounds, or a dress size, or every half-marathon, or something like that).
Stars * On the calendar, yes. For every day of exercise, give yourself a gold star. It’s motivating to see them add up through the month.
Tickets * Choose a play or concert or movie premiere you want to see, but maybe can’t quite justify. Reward yourself by enjoying the event. If you miss your goal, give them away. (No, we’re not kidding.)
Sporting goods * If you want some new equipment, put it out there as a reward. This could be a new or new-to-you bicycle, treadmill, kayak, golf clubs, tennis racquet, or … whatever you want.
Membership or Lessons * If you’ve been working out at home, a gym membership might be the perfect reward. Dance lessons or a fitness class or a cooking class (healthy cooking!) are other options. Or maybe you want to learn about meditation or flower essences or making soap. Maybe you want to learn a foreign language or how to play an instrument. If it’s interesting to you, learn it as a reward.
Travel * Whether it’s a weekend in a downtown hotel or a week in your dream destination, reward yourself with a trip to get away from it all.
Spa * From a manicure to a massage to a full day of treatments, a spa is a delicious reward for a busy person.
Toss a slice of citrus fruit in your glass – try lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit. It adds just a little zing. Or try other fruit – like strawberries or blackberries or melon. Or go crazy and use cucumber (it’s better than you think!). Or try herbs like mint or basil in your water. 
