Guide to Healthy Living

Eating healthy is not about staying un-realistically thin, depriving yourself of the foods you love, or sticking to strict philosphies. In reality, its about having more engery, keeping yourself as healthy as possible and feeling great! All of these things can be accomplished by learning the basics of nutrition and incorporating them into your everyday life in a way that works for you. A good start is to strive to encorporate the food pyramid into your meals, and look for healthy and fulfilling snacks.

Strategies for Healthy Eating1. Eat enough calories but not too many, try not to consume more calories than your body uses. The recommended daily allowance is 2,000, depending on body size.2. Eat a wide variety of foods, try to incorporate whole wheats, veg-gies and fruits. These are low in fat, have no cholesterol and provide the vitamins, minerals and complex charbohydrates that your body needs.3. Keep portions moderate, split a dish with a friend or bring home leftovers. Remember to stop eating when you feel full!4. Limit sugary foods, sugar is hidden in a lot of food products. Read the food labels and know what is right for you.5. Eat early and eat often, starting your day with a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small meals throughout the day will keep it going.

Healthy Eating Habits

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Nutrition Facts

It seems that everywhere you turn, people are buzzing about the benefits of going organic. There are increased health and environmental benefits that comes with the consumption of organic foods. Organic produced pro-duce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, geneti-cally modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. The ani-mals that organic products such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy come from do not take antibiotics or health products. The USDA Organic seal ensures consumers of the quality and integrity of the organic products. Studies have shown that organic foods have a higher nutritional value than traditionally produced products. Chro-mium is a micronutrient that is low in Western diets. Its deficiency is associ- ated with the onset of adult diabetes and ath- erosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Chromium was found to be higher in organic foods by an average of 78%. Selenium is one of the antioxidant nutrients that protects us from damage by environmental chemicals. It is protective against cancers and heart disease. It was found to be an average of 390% higher in organic foods. Calcium, needed for strong bones, averaged 63% higher in organ-ics. Boron, which has been shown to help prevent osteo-porosis (along with calcium), averaged 70% more. Lith-ium, which is used to treat certain types of depression, was 188% higher. Magnesium, which reduces mortality from heart attacks, keeps muscles from spasming, and eases the symptoms of PMS, averaged 138% more.

Going OrganicThe Nutrition Facts Panel is your guide to making the most nutrient-rich food choices while staying within your daily calorie budget. You’ll find it on most packaged foods in the super-market and frequently on Nutri-Facts posters and brochures for fresh foods such as produce, fish and meat.1. Serving Size - usually 1 package. All the nutrition numbers listed are based on this amount. Compare the serving size to the amount you eat and adjust the numbers as needed.2. Servings Per Container - note this number carefully! Most packages contain one serving, but sometimes packages contain more than one serv-ing.3. Nutrition Numbers - the num-ber of total calories and the number of calories from fat in one serving, grams of total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, to-tal carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugars, protein and milligrams of cholesterol and sodium.4. Percent Daily Values - these percentages show how much of each nutrient one serving provides in a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet.

1. Take a 30-minute walk daily.2. Park your car in the farthest spot when you run errands.3. Wash your car by hand.4. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.5. Join a gym and fit a class into your daily schedule.

To manage body weight and prevent gradual weight gain, people should strive to exercise around 60 minutes at a moderate to vigorous intensity on most days of the week. Be con-science to not exceed the recommendations for daily caloric intake. Sixty to 90 minutes may be needed to maintain weight loss. The more vigorous the activity and the longer the duration, the more health benefits you’ll get. But every little bit counts!

5 Easy Ways to Work Exercise into Your Day

Fitness Myths Revealed1. Stretching is essential - stretching may actually increase your chance for injury and decrease your workout performance. The best way to prepare is a 3-5 min. walking warmup.2. Muscle turns into fat - fat and muscle are two different types of tissue, people just gain body fat by not working out.3. Long and slow to loose fat - you can deter-mine how long it takes you to loose the lbs. Choose a workout that burns as many calories as possible.4. Crunching away ab flab - working out is not about spot reducing, loosing extra flab is done by sticking to a low calorie diet and calorie burning cardio exercise.5. Beef up to gain muscle - the body uses pro-tein, carbs and fat to build muscle but you don’t have to eat huge protions, maintaining a balanced diet with enough building calories is the most promising plan.

Exercise Does The Body Good

Do a Little, Get a LotThe notion that good health can come in small amounts is not really new. Research showing that making small changes can add up to a big difference has been quietly accumulating for-some time now. For example, 30 minutes of walking per day is enough to prevent weight gain and encourage moderate weight loss or 3 brisk 10-minute walks per day were as effective as a daily 30-minute walk in decreasing risk fac-tors for heart disease. As long as the changes are moving you toward your goal whether its weight loss, a reduction in cholesterol or blood pres-sure, or better blood sugar control, you can get there by taking baby steps

Stress Control1. Give the people you love hugs every day before beginning your routine. Studies show this simple act can help you remain calm when chaos ensues during your day..2. Have a good cry. Crying can boost your immune system, reduce levels of stress hor-mones, eliminate depression, and help you think more clearly.3. Breathe deeply for three to five minutes twice daily to relieve tension.

Improving Sleep1. Sprinkle clean sheets and pillowcases with lavender water. The scent has been shown in studies to promote relaxation, which can lead to better sleep.2. Buy a new pillow. Studies show that pil-lows with an indent in the center can en-hance sleep quality and reduce neck pain. Cooler pillows have also been proven to en-courage relaxation.3. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. You’ll be giving yourself a boost of fiber and es-sential fatty acids along with the amino acid tryptophan which is a natural sleep-inducer.

Helpful Health and Wellness Habits