Daily Distractions

Here is another tip for anyone that will listen.

Most of us have days that are jam packed and pressure filled from the time we wake up until we put our head on the pillow!

You must find things that can calm you down on a daily basis.


For some it is exercise a walk or a bike ride some light weight lifting.

For others it is reading a book or socializing.

Whatever it is you must have an escape of some sort as Blood Pressure and Stress can lead to many issues.  From weight gain to BP and cholesterol issues stress is bad.

Do you know what you can do to escape?  What can you do to distract yourself from the day to day hassles?

Once you ID your escape you will be way ahead of the game.

Eat Often

Here is another tip from my journey in weight loss.

Many people will be quick to tell you to eat every few hours.

It stokes your metabolism and it slows down your want to eat.

You will hear very often....eat every two hours.

People don't explain as readily what you should eat every few hours.

I am a proponent of a very large breakfast...balance protein, carbs and fiber.

A good example is egg whites, fruit, oatmeal or some high fiber wheat toast.

This type of breakfast will set you up for an awesome day.

Think about it like a night out at the bars.....if you are going out to drink you hear people get a big dinner to have a base of food in their system.  Every day should be viewed like this...start with a solid base!  After that you can mix in fruit veggies and some fiber every few hours....have a healthy lunch and dinner tiening protein and then a snack in the evening.

Shut it down and start over.

Eating often does not mean a cookie or a donut every two hours...sorry to blow up that thought but you have to make good choices.  Find food you enjoy and partake every few hours.  If they are healthy all is good!

HDL

Many people talk about Cholesterol but they have no idea how your ratio of cholesterol is figured out and how you can impact it.

LDL is the bad stuff and HDL is the good stuff.  What you eat has a big role in what your LDL is what you eat and activity levels tend to dictate HDL.

Many of us are pre disposed to high LDL levels genetically.  I can eat clean but if I don't exercise I will always have very high LDL.  I need to get out and walk or do something daily to keep my HDL above average to compensate for a high LDL.

I lost the lottery when it comes to LDL so I have to keep my ratio in tact by having a higher HDL to counter act a high LDL.

Here is the first change you can make in your lifestyle and it should be pleasant and enjoyable....a simple 30 minut walk a day can do wonders for your HDL and you may be surprised what it can do for your mind.

Give it a try.

Does it ever end?

Many of you have been on a weight loss or fitness journey of some sort ....... hence logging into this blog occasionally!  :):)

Many people ask me when can I let up....when does it end?

I would say it really never ends.

Living a healthy and fit lifestyle is exactly that a lifestyle.  You can take breaks from the lifestyle (short ones) you can even change or tweak it but a diet is an event a lifestyle is a process and the process is what will work for you long term.

If you have goals for yourself you may have to really work hard for 2 months or two years to achieve the certain fitness level or weight but at the end of that cycle you still need to keep fotness and health at the forefront.

If you truly long to be fit healthy and happy you really have to choose to dedicate yourself to making good decisions.

I will try and work to give easy lifestyle changes to you over the next few weeks to see if they are things you think you can live with.

Find a way to enjoy what you like!

Whether there are activities foods entertainment options you enjoy....whatever category it might fall into ..... find a way to enjoy.

I have had to work with my wife on this one in relation to food.

I have found that no matter what you desire if you deprive yourself to long you will sway the worng way at some point and not only give in to the temptation but many times it leads t a binge!

If there are things in life you enjoy, that are legal, make sure you allow yourself the activity or thing on occasion.

I LOVE cookies.

If I had to go a few days without a cookie I would be miserable.  My wife has worked incredibly hard to find pretty healthy cookie options for me.  Oatmeal, peanut butter, snickerdoodle it does not matter she has found me options.

This is a great way to go about things don't let a want or a desire upset you just find a good way to partake or enjoy.

If I am going to give in to my cookie temptation.....why fight it?  Come up with a good option you enjoy and make it part of your life....the results will follow!

Life is Good

When you wake up in the morning are you ready to jump oout of bed or do you want to bury your head in the comforter?

There is a large correlation in my estimation for your want to get up in the morning vs.the want to crash and hide for the day!

You need to remember no matter what you are doing or what you are in the midst of nothing is so daunting that you should not look forward to making good things happen that day!

You can choose how your day will go most days......think about it as you head into each and every day!

What a week!

I was in Hawaii for the last week without a computer.

I am very sorry to leave you all hanging without warning.

I thought I would have computer access but I did not.

What a trip I had...my wife and I got to totally chill out.

No exercise just a bunch of good eating.  This was a reward trip so my wife and I worked really hard to be able to just enjoy the week we had away from the routine.

Since I started writing here I have tried to explain that it is not about self deprivation....it is all about enjoying life in a way you can live with so that you can be happy and healthy as you gorw older.

The good news is my wife and I just chilled out and pigged out and we gained a few pounds....that was OK as we had planned on that!

We decided on our flight back that is the way to go!  Enjoy each and every day and if you need to get a few extra pounds off or if you need to shed a few blood pressure points attack those issues when you understand them.

What Matters

Many of us have day to day challenges which call us to priorittize many different activities.

How hard is it for you to decide what matters.

A friend, your son or daughter want to talk but you have a report due.  Maybe those people just want to hang out but there is a show on you really want to watch.

Maybe you have been trying to get a few moments of alone time and they are finally within reach and someone needs your time.

We all have run across these things many days out of our week.  How you deal with things and what you put at the top of your priority list can tell you much about where you are at in life.

Most of us have short term and long term goals.

Many of us have things we want to get done today or this hour and then we have things we hope to have in order donw the road.

I am trying to make it part of my routine to think about where I want to finish and then make sense out of my prioritization.

I am taking Covey's advice and I am going to begin with the end in mind.

Since I have dedicated myself to this approach a few months ago it is incredible the clarity I am starting to get around my day to day activities.

Give it a try as you head through the week.

Think about where you want to be ten to twenty years from now physically and mentally and then put your priorities out there daily you may be amazed at the difference you find!

Football!

Tonight it all started...the NFL is back..I love it!

I was reflecting on how different my life is from five years ago.

Tonight would have ben all you can eat wings a little pizza and enjoy the game.

Tonight I am really enjoying the game but it has no food association to it.

A few years ago if football was on itwas 20 wings garlic bread with cheese and ballgame.

Now I don't use the game as an excuse to overeat...I enjoy the game for what it is an awesome game...if I want to eat great but the game is the game and my decisions on what I eat or don't during the game are or should be seperate!

Get your sweat on!

I will tell all of you if you want the secret to losing weight it is about getting a good sweat on!

Many people have argued with me about intervals....weight training against aerobic etc.etc.

Here is the bottom line...activity is good.....you can walk and you can lift weights and you are all good.  That is much better than doing nothing.

The bottom line though is that if you get a good sweat on you will usually burn 10-15%  in the following 24 hours than you would have if you did not exercise to the point of sweat.

I know this can seem a bit gross but the bottom line is if you are not working hard enough to break a sweat you are doing something but you are not working out hard enough to make a difference in your life!

Choices

We all make them....sometimes we make a thousand or so a day.

Odds are if you are a realist you understand that there are going to be many times you make the wrong choice.

There isn't much wrong with making the wrong choice...there is a ton that can go right or wrong depending on how you react and respond to a poor decision.

Life happens and once you come to grips with that and realize that you aren't perfect and you are going to make bad choices the faster you can get on with your life.

Some people think making a bad choice is something you don't realize until after the fact and sometimes that is true.

Many times we choose to make the wrong choice...that is OK to.

If you always do the right thing you will go nuts and the one day you give in to the worng decision you may really go on a bender.

I am not encouraging anyone to make bad choices i am simply reminding everyone we all make bad choices....accept them and decide how to position yourself to respond differently in the future.

Happy Labor Day!

How fitting a day to look back a bit and think about the many things we have discussed over the last few months.

So many discussions on fitness, nutrition, being a good person and the propensity we all have to struggle in so many areas.

For good or bad we all labor a great deal day in and day out whether it be physically or mentally.  Life is a challenge most every day and that is why a strong healthy focus is so important.

If you stay focused on the positive things that you want to accomplish the labor you endure day in and day out will be totally worth it.

I want to share soe thoughts with you tomorrow on exercise and it can be a game changer for people looking to lose weight so make sure you check back.

Today though take a few moments to reflect on what you have labored through this last year and then think about how you may make this coming year a bit less strenuous and a bit more productive toward your goals.

What do we invest in?

Think about where you spend your time and your money?

Here are some thoughts for you......Buy experiences instead of things......buy many small pleasures instead of a few big ones; pay now for things you can look forward to later.

These are simple precepts but they can go a long way to happiness.