Wellness Tips

Since I am getting back into a fitness routine, it seemed a good time to post some related material. Welcome Diamond, who is a health enthusiast and cyber-security blogger and her seven tips for a healthier, happier you.

7 Amazing Wellness Tips to Make Yourself Healthier

Becoming healthier is a journey we should all be constantly a part of. No matter what walk of life you come from, there’s always room to work on your health. Doing so has many benefits:

• Improved focus
• Greater productivity
• Reduced illness

In general, feeling good is a state we have to strive for; it won’t just happen on its own. That’s why there are some changes you should consider making in your life. Some of them you may already be doing and if so, great.

Either way, check out this list to see where you can stand to improve. Every little bit counts, and there’s no better day to start than today.

1. Cut Down on Added Sugars

Most of us are guilty of this problem: too many added sugars in our diet. From morning till bed time, we eat cereals, coffee, bread and just a general cornucopia of different foods that have sugars and syrups added for flavor.

But sugar is one of the biggest enemies of health. Since 2010, we’ve had fairly conclusive research that drinking sugary beverages contributes to poor health and the development of diabetes. Other research also suggests a link between poor heart health and consumption of processed sugars (typical of what’s added to everyday foods).

Your best bet is to stick with basic ingredients. See below for more on that.

2. Shop in the “Horseshoe”

A great place to start looking for healthier alternatives to the sugary items mentioned above is in the “horseshoe” of the grocery store. Generally, that refers to everything along the outer edge of the store, as this is where fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meats tend to be stored.

While staying on the edges isn’t the gospel of shopping, it definitely improves your chances of encountering unadulterated foods. Of course, you'll have to watch out for processed meats (they also tend to be on the outer rim) and flavored milks/creamers, but it’s generally easier to find healthy ingredients and foods there.

If you’re looking for ingredients with less pesticide (assuming you either can’t afford all organic or just don’t have access to it where you live; a problem I face daily), you might consider shopping with an app like Dirty Dozen. It’s a good app for identifying fresh produce that has less pesticide residue.

But take its suggestions with a grain of corn; papayas, which are on the “Clean 15” list are known to be GMO crops, so be aware if that’s an issue (interestingly enough, sweet corn, also on the list, generally is not GMO).

3. Prepare Your Own Meals

Armed with your healthy pick of ingredients, you can further improve your health by preparing your own meals. Doing so ensures you know exactly what’s going into the food and it prevents you from consuming as many processed ingredients such as those found in big chain eateries.

You can also save money and just generally become closer to what keeps you going each day. Understanding how food is prepared and how to preserve the nutrition (such as not overcooking foods or continually reheating leftovers) will help you live a cleaner, healthier life.

If time is an issue, you may want to consider investing in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. We use a pressure cooker at home and it cuts down on the number of pots and pans while reducing cook times significantly.

4. Improve Sleep Conditions

A good night’s sleep is certain to improve anyone’s livelihood. The trick is setting your schedule and room up around providing a rejuvenating sleep. Owning a quality bed is obviously a good investment, but you should consider some other basic steps:

• Go to sleep while the clock still reads p.m.
• Remove sources of blue light while you sleep, such as TVs, LED display lights or other electronics (a piece of tape over a bright cable box light can make a big difference)
• Only use your bed for sleeping; reserve other activities for other rooms if possible
• Avoid sleeping on your stomach, as it is less than ideal for your spine

You want to be conscious of your diet before bed as well. Consuming sugar or caffeine before bed can reduce the quality of your sleep and may contribute to grogginess in the morning. Stick with light plant-based foods before bed and avoid eating less than an hour before you sleep. Keep your room cool and dark; a programmable thermostat can help.

5. Exercise Early

Going to bed early is important, but getting up early and moving right away is also a valuable part of any daily routine. Early exercise helps awaken both your mind and metabolism to prepare you for the rest of the day. This is especially true if you work in an office or at home.

Starting early also provides you with more daylight to get things done, which is something your body needs. Your circadian rhythm is based largely on the light and dark cycle, so you’re less likely to feel tired if you start strenuous activity early and more likely to sleep better if you’ve done your workout earlier rather than later.

6. Track Your Fitness and Diet

With the rise of devices such as Pebble and Fitbit, it’s never been easier to keep track of your activity, and you really should. It will help you determine whether or not you’ve been too sedentary and, in the case of food, can help you find out what critical nutrients are lacking in your diet.

Just be careful what apps you use; some apps may connect to public WiFi, which can put you at risk for data theft. Use a VPN (a type of security app) to navigate around this problem, as described in this review by Secure Thoughts.

7. Train Your Mind

Having a strong mind is essential for maintaining a strong body; there are a number of ways you can achieve this goal, but none of them are quick. To keep your brain from turning to mush as you grow older, you’ll want to take interest in something that takes a long time to master. Learning a foreign language, for instance, can improve your vocabulary and help stave off mental decline.

Another activity that’s both enjoyable and healthy for the brain is learning to play a musical instrument. Be it a flute, cello or something else, the physical and mental skill required to play music will keep you sharp. It can also be very enjoyable and could become a very social experience.

What are you doing to make your life healthier and happier? Tell us what works for you.

About the Author: Diamond is a health enthusiast and cybersecurity blogger. She writes on a variety of topics, including how changes in technology and the food supply affect our health and what we should do about it.

Workplace Health Hacks

As I've discussed on the blog previously, I've made an effort to better my health through better eating and exercise. The use of my Fitbit Charge HD deserves a tremendous amount of credit for my success in this because it actually shows me the results as they happen, hooking me immediately on my new routine.

However, one thing I've realized in using my Fitbit is that I do not move a whole lot during the school day. I walk into and out of the building obviously, but once in my classroom I walk the hallway and around my room very little. I tend to teach sitting on the top of a desk facing my class or standing. Knowing that movement of any kind helps in the achievement of health, I've been looking for ways to work my new healthy living into my workplace.

So when Nuts.com asked me if I'd like to spark a conversation on the blog about staying healthy at work, I was all for it. Nuts.com has a list of healthy snacks for different times, places, and needs. There's even a link there for Healthy Snacks for Work! After discussing some ideas about what I could do within the allowances of my workplace, they created this nifty graphic for me:

Some of these I already started doing last year and some I added this year. Last year was the first year in ten years I did not eat a single lunch from the cafeteria, packing lunch in hopes of somewhat healthier eating and saving money.This year I've improved upon that by not only packing my lunch, but consciously searching out truly healthy foods to pack, which ties into healthy snacking. Instead of boxes of snack cakes sitting in my desk drawer, I bring apples and peanut butter, mixed nuts, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, Greek yogurt, fruit, hummus wraps, and the list goes on. Because of vocal chord issues, my doctor told me to always have a non-carbonated drink at work (I'm a teacher - lots of talking and very little hydration have not been kind to me). so I switched out my PowerAde for water. The drop in my sugar in take and wallet out take made a huge difference!

Eating healthy is only half the battle though. I still needed that movement piece in my day. The only way to solve this was to purposely get up and move. Instead of saving errands for the end of the day or beginning of the next, I don't hesitate to run down the hall or downstairs at that moment since it means another flight of stairs and more steps. I try to walk around while teaching within my classroom a little more. Also instead of using the phone to call someone with a question, I walk to their room or office.

The eating is big and the movement may be minimal right now, but it's all improvement. Any improvement means I'm on the right track.

Any workplace health hacks you'd like to share readers? Thank you Nuts.com for sparking this conversation as I take my health journey!

Dispelling Exercise & Eating Myths

Every New Year's people see the blank slate of a new year and make resolutions. I decided a few years back to make life changes instead - to tackle things that would change who I am. Up til now those things have been working towards bettering me as a wife, mother, friend, Christian, etc. This year I visited my friend Tina on New Year's Day and ended up leaving with a physical life change that I really needed to do, but had been putting off. Some of the responses I've received from those around me have caught me off guard though, so I'd like to give voice to my side.

Besides my husband and my sister, the ladies in my new
work out group were very encouraging. They immediately
began sharing their experiences and answering my
questions about exercise and healthy eating.

My friend Tina mentioned a workout group she wanted to get back into, but had no one to go with her. The way she described it was really appealing and I told her I would gladly check it out. The next day, my husband went to buy a Fitbit with his gift cards and suggested I get one too because it would motivate me. Within three days of having the Fitbit and corresponding app, I was hooked. Seeing results in real time was quite motivating. By the end of the first week of January, I attended three work outs, worked out on my own at home (T25) a couple nights, and made changes to my eating. I am an unhealthy eater, but all I've done for now is cut the main culprits: junky snack foods and drinks other than water (which equals lots of calories and sugar). To make myself truly understand how much bad snacking I do, I decided to count calories on my Fitbit. It's amazing what I've learned about the calories in different foods and the equation between burning and consuming them. After one week of dedication, I've lost two pounds and am as ready as ever to keep it up.

Sounds good huh?! When I've mentioned a couple times over the past week that I am counting calories, I've had people actually laugh or make remarks.They aren't made with mean intentions, but hurtful nonetheless (and ironic as some have made their own goals). It also shuts down the conversation, not allowing me to talk about my new journey. But I also know why. I am tall, small chested, and not what people would call fat at all, although I have junk in the trunk, if you catch my drift. I have a pouch of a stomach that I can typically squeeze into my jeans, which hides it from my shirt front. I have no muscle mass either - my arms and legs jiggle where there should be some strength...I'm not that old! But since I don't make it a habit to parade around naked or scantily clad, no one would know this.

Realize, it's not being overall healthy that throws people off, but the idea of me counting calories, which naturally leads to weight loss. However, counting calories is what I need to do to discipline my eating habits, because I am not naturally motivated or knowledgeable enough to do so. It's a starting point only. I don't know where it will lead or how far I will go, I only know I want to make healthier decisions than I already am in my every day living. There are other reasons for this decision and I want to list them here in and effort to dispel the myth that some people (particularly those of my build) don't need to make certain eating and other lifestyle changes.

1. The jeans I bought in November are hard to get on. That sucks. I don't buy many pairs at a time, so I tend to get a couple really good pairs and stay with them. For some time I've consistently fluctuated between two sizes, keeping the currents in my closet and unused under my bed, switching as needed. I'm done. I want to wear the nice ones I bought. The only way to do this is to count those calories until I have better eating habits and can reliably resist or give in to temptation as needed without having to consult my Fitbit.  Counting calories is a starting point for better eating. 

2. My chiropractic health. I have had consistent problems with my shoulders, neck, and upper back for years. I go through months where I am at the chiropractor often and have even missed work due to pain. My chiropractor told me I needed to take up Yoga or something to strengthen my back and shoulders - we're talking muscle people! I didn't do so when he told me, but recently have noticed my back is getting weaker. After holding a baby for twenty minutes, my shoulder hurt the rest of the day. The day after babysitting, my body was so sore, it felt like I had worked out. I'm 36 - this is not good, especially since I can do something about it. Also, poor eating can affect how you feel overall. Not eating well, sitting around snacking, is not helping my overall feeling, making it harder to get myself enough energy to exercise and deal with the chiropractic pain. Besides, why waste all that exercise time by eating poorly?

3. I have a history of sleep problems. I typically go on five hours of sleep a night. Diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) at one point, there isn't much I've found I can do about it. If I nap or not, I still have trouble falling asleep at night and don't sleep well or for very long. So, it's good to nap if I feel tired, but that eats into time for other things. It's been five years since my anxiety issues have passed and yet I've found nothing to help my sleep get on track. Feeling better through exercise and healthy eating may be the trick. Although I slept an average of five hours a night last week, I had a couple 6 hour nights and a seven hour night.

4. Although I've gained 30 pounds of my current weight in the past six years, this whole thing is not about weight loss. Yes, I do need the few pounds gone to fit my clothes better, but other than that, this is about doing something good for myself. I am/have been involved in a few service groups and feel friendship means being a real part of someone's life. I will always do these things, but I need to make the time I need for a better me. Also, having my first child at age 19, it felt like child-rearing years would last forever. I enjoyed them, but with teenagers now, I've reached a point in life where they don't need me around all the time and I have the time and money to do things for me. For example, my husband and I want to go on the honeymoon we never had on or around our 20th Anniversary...that's four years away. So as soon as possible in the next six years, I plan on laying around on a beach in Hawaii, at a resort in Mexico, or on a Bahama-bound cruise boat...and bathing suits don't hide what your every day clothes do! If I'm going to do this, I'm going to look and feel great doing it!

5. My father is skinny. He buys shorts in the boys' department - size 14. When he and my mother have gone for physicals, his numbers have come back higher than hers in things like cholesterol and triglycerides. They call it "skinny fat." So, while I have (had) the metabolism and genes, if the inside isn't healthy, then your skinniness means nothing. 

6. It's important to be healthy, I've put it off long enough. Period.

So that's my goal and those are my reasons. I know I don't have to justify anything to anyone, but I think the point has to be made that we don't know everything going on in someone's life and why they are doing what they are doing. Exercise without healthy eating will not be a benefit and healthy eating won't truly benefit you without exercise. I know this rings true with others because we all need a level of health awareness in our lives, regardless of our body's build or current state of health. I've just finally hit the point where I need to do this.

The mindset itself is the biggest change.