What is your Wellness Vision?

We all want to be active, look great and be healthy into our 90’s & beyond but what does that look like for you? These are some responses I have received over the years from my clients:

-I want to delay aging
-I want to have peace of mind
-I want to feel more energetic and alert
-I want to be healthier so that I can prevent disease
-I want to be more balanced

When I ask most of my clients if they have created a Wellness Vision for themselves they ask “what’s that?” First, it’s important to understand the definition of wellness.
Wellness is much more than the opposite of illness:

-Wellness is the state of being in good health or at your best health;
-Wellness is the condition of good physical and mental health, especially when maintained by proper diet, exercise, and life habits;
-Wellness is the mastery of one’s wellbeing- physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

The mastery of health and wellness doesn’t happen naturally. We need to plan and take action to improve or maintain our health. A Wellness Vision is our written plan.

Here are five simple steps and get started on your Wellness Vision today!

1. Start asking yourself questions. Who do I want to be when it comes to health, fitness and wellness? What do I want to do consistently- exercise, eat well, relax more? What do I want to have happen (i.e. weight loss, greater fitness, less stress, better health, more peace of mind)? Why does this matter to me?
2. Look at any obstacles. What are things that could get in the way?
3. Develop strategies to overcome obstacles. What are some realistic strategies that will increase my confidence in my ability to succeed?
4. Write it down!!! A wellness vision includes general statements that address the longer term (six months, 1 years, 2 years, 5 years, etc). Write down your answers to the questions above and be sure to include a realistic timeframe.
5. Take action everyday. Revisit your written wellness vision weekly. Take small steps each day towards your goals.

Make your wellness a priority today and for the future. It’s an investment that is priceless.

Make SMART goals during the holidays and for the New Year!

During the holidays it can be challenging to exercise daily and keep your diet in check. Since the holiday time includes parties and get togethers it is very easy to gain weight. Some research suggests that we can gain up to 5 lbs. or more between the period of Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. What can you do to stay on track with your wellness and health? Develop SMART goals around the holidays and for the New Year. Developing goals around the holidays for the New Years is a great way to keep on track and stay motivated.

S- Specific. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished. Ask yourself...Who, what , where, when, why. An example: "I will get in shape." A more specific way to pharse this goal is "I will join a health club and workout 4 days a week for at least 45 minutes ."

M- Measureable. In order to know if you have reached a goal it must be measureable. When you measure your progress you stay on track. Ask yourself "How will I know when I have accomplished my goal?"

A- Attainable. When you identify wellnes goals you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You can attain most any goal you set weh you plan wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry our your plan.

R- Realistic. To be realistic your goals must represent something you are willing and able to do. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe you can accomplish it.

T- Timely. Your wellness and fitness goals should be grounded within a time frame. For the holidays think about where you want to be in the New Year (3 months from now, 6 months from now).

Refer to your SMART goals daily and you will be accomplishing them before you know it.

Nuts for your health

Chesnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans are always favorites at the holidays. Many of us think of nuts as high fat, high calorie food that should be avoided. Nuts, however, when eaten in moderation are actually good for you. Studies have shown that nuts can LDL (bad) cholesterol and your risk of heart diease. Nuts are high in monounstaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Diets rich in unsaturated fats have many health benefits. Nuts also contain protein, dietary fiber, and are rich in phytochemicals (that contain antioxidants).

So this holiday season indulge eating nuts by following these simple suggestions:
1. Eat no more than one ounce or a handful of nuts daily.
2. Carve a place for nuts by cutting back on meat, chees and other animal proteins.
3. Minimize you consumption of salted nuts if you have high blood pressure.
4. If you tend to overeat stick with unshelled nuts. The extra effort helps to discourage overeating.
5. Avoid nuts with sugary glaze or covered in chocolate. You will be packing on a lot of unneeded calories.

To have more fun with nuts at the holiday season consider roasting them with friends and family or purchasing a fun "nutcracker" for your holiday parties.

Five Simple Things You Can Do To Super Charge Your Health!!

Americans are not very healthy. 1500 of us die of cancer every day. One in three women and one in two men have cancer in their lifetime. Over 500,000 heart attack victims die in the U.S. every year. 74% of Americans believe they are overweight. Diabetes will increase by 165% over the next 50 years!

Why are we so unhealthy? There are many reasons. Some include: Lack of exercise; stressful life style; not drinking enough water, toxins in our air and water, and poor food choices. What can we do? Here are five simple things you can do on a daily basis to Super Charge you Health!

1. “Read Your Labels”. According to a study from Washington State University, the average American child eats more than 5 lbs. of sugar every week and adults are close to that as well. Sugar contains no vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber. Check your label before eating and limit your sugar intake to no more than 18-20 grams per meal.

2. Sleep Well. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s survey on sleep, 40% of adults are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with their daily activities. Left untreated sleep disorders are associated with serious medical illnesses such as High Blood Pressure, Stroke, Obesity, Poor quality of life, & Injury from accidents. The amount of sleep that we need varies from person to person but on average it is recommended that you get 8-9 hours on sleep each night.

3. Eat Your Fruits & Veggies. Fruits and Vegetables contain plant fiber that helps lower cholesterol, risk of diabetes, and many types of cancer. Fruits and Vegetables contain 1000s of phytochemicals that help fight disease. Doctors believe that over 70% of degenerative diseases can be prevented by eating 9-13 servings each day.

4. Get Active! Make exercise an essential part of your schedule. Pick a favorite activity (walk, swim, run, join a sport) and start slowly (just 10 minutes a day can make a difference).

5. Remember Laughter really is Medicine! Researchers at University of Maryland found that people who laughed the most were less likely to suffer from heart disease and that laughter seems to increase antibodies that fight upper respiratory diseases and other infections. Humor also increases tolerance to pain. To increase your laughter subscribe to a joke of the day, watch funny movies or check out your shows of your comedians in your community.

You play a major role in determining the quality of your future. The choice is yours. Start today and super charge your health!!

10 Reasons to drink more water and energize your life!

We all know that water is essential to our life and wellbeing. Many researchers believe, however, that up to 80% of our population is dehydrated. Why is this important to know? Because dehydration has been correlated with many health conditions including: Allergies, Hypertension or High Blood pressure, Type II diabetes, Constipation and Autoimmune diseases. The average 150 lb. adult body is almost 2/3 “water weight”. Water makes up our blood, muscles, bone and brain. Even a slight decrease in our water consumption can impact our bodily processes and mental processes as well.

Why should we drink more water? Here are ten super reasons to hydrate daily:

1. Water improves your energy. When your body is hydrated you will naturally have more energy without having to drink caffeinated products such as coffee and soda.
2. Water keeps your skin healthy. Water makes the skin smoother and helps decrease the effects of aging.
3. Water can help you lose weight. Best of all you don’t need to diet. You will not eat excessively when you hydrate your system. Sugar cravings will also decrease. Water helps to metabolize fat.
4. Water allows for proper digestion. Water is the main solvent for all foods, vitamins and minerals. It breaks down food into smaller particles to be digested and absorbed into our bodies.
5. Water helps to remove your body’s toxins. Deposits of toxic sediments are normally stored in the tissue spaces, joints, kidneys, liver, brain, and skin. Drinking water will help flush these toxins out of your system.
6. Water can help to reduce headaches and dizziness. Dehydration may be the cause of headaches and dizziness.
7. Water helps prevent memory loss as we age. Research has shown that water can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
8. Water can cut cravings of caffeine and alcohol.
9. Water can help fight infections and viruses. It is vital in helping to make the immune system more efficient.
10. Without Water…nothing lives!!

Interested in drinking more water but aren’t sure of how much you need? The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of water a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day. Increase your health and vitality by drinking more water on a daily basis and your body will thank you.

Having a Support System to reach your wellness goals

We have all read the statistics that less than 5% of the people who begin an exercise program are able to maintain and keep the weight off after one year. In order to be successful we must build a support system. A support system is a partner, coach, or friend who is reliable and will encourage you to continue to strive towards your wellness and fitness goals (even with set backs). I call these people your Wellness Partners.

Advantages of a support system:

Improve successful completion. People enjoy exercising more when they have a wellness partner. Many times you will be pushed to do more than you thought you could complete.

Helps you get through times when your motivation is lacking. Whether a friend or coach a wellness partner can help motivate you to stay on track.

Teamwork. Working as a team can help get you to your wellness goals quicker. Teams often share great ideas, brainstorm and are great cheerleaders. Your team wants you to succeed.

What to look for in a wellness partner:

She or He must be reliable.

You & your partner need to agree on the goals to be met. They should be SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Realistic and Timely)

Close to you in location.

Agrees on exercise environment (outside, inside, at the ocean, etc)

Matches or compliments your personality.

Work on putting a successful support system together and you will be well on your way to succeeding in your wellness goals.