Archive for the ‘Healthy Mind’ Category
Signs of Good Health
February 1st, 2012 | 
Author: When starting a health or fitness regime it is easy to get caught up in numbers such as weight and/or body fat. However, there are other health signs that are less obvious that one should keep in mind.
Lung Capacity: This can be improved by enhancing your cardiovascular health and by staying away from smoke (both primary and secondary sources).
Mood Swings: Research has shown that those with a healthy body image are generally more optimistic and more stable with their emotions. Being active also helps provide energy, decrease stress and increase a feel good emotion. In addition, there is a link between depression and being overweight.
Stress Levels: Being active can decrease stress levels and having high stress levels may have an adverse affect on emotional eaters.
Skin Complexion: Research has shown that individuals getting the recommended nutrients often have smoother complexions. Diets high in fat and/or sugar often lead to breakouts and diets lacking in nutrition often show in the form of a dull complexion.
Happy Hearts: The healthier you are the more efficiently your heart should work. Signs of a healthy heart can be seen in improved cholesterol levels. Another healthy heart signal is an improvement in your blood pressure. In addition, your resting heart rate often improves with increased heart health.
Glucose: Blood sugar levels should be monitored. It is extremely easy for individuals to underestimate the amount of sugar that is added to foods that seem healthy. Keeping tabs on glucose levels is vital to prevent diabetes and ensure balanced glucose levels are maintained.
ZZZZZs: Sleeping well is a sign that you are eating properly and getting an adequate amount of activity in a day. Receiving adequate rest also affords your body the time to physically, mentally, and emotionally recharge.
Site: MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Blog: KeepMovinBlogcast.com
Contact@MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Posted in Fitness, Healthy Eating, Healthy Mind | 
Tags: Emotional Eating, Good Health, Healthy Heart, Stress | 
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How to Make the Best New Year’s Resolution
- Determine what is Most Important to You
Really think about what is the most important thing you want to change this New Year. Emphasis should be on YOU, not what you feel pressured to do.
- Choose Something Realistic
Do not make unattainable resolutions. It sounds bad but don’t aim too high. Doing so will only increase the chances of breaking your resolutions. Instead, focus on things that are attainable.
- Be Selfish
Choose something that you really want to do. Of course, it is great to be healthy, quit smoking or help others. In the end, however, it should be something that you really want to do for yourself. If that happens to be to help others or quit smoking then that is great. If not, that is okay too. The point is to choose something that will give you the best chance to succeed.
Shane Walker
Site: MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Blog: KeepMovinBlogcast.com
Contact@MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
How to Keep Your Energy Up During the Day
Many of us wake up feeling ready for the day and optimistic in meeting our health goals. As the day progresses, however, many of us find ourselves craving sugar/junk to perk us up. A main cause of this is a change in our insulin levels. Our energy levels change as a result of insulin levels and we soon find it difficult to resist temptation or find the motivation to get in that afternoon workout. It is important to learn how to stabilize and keep energy levels balanced throughout the day. Here are some tips to keep your energy up during the day:
Begin with Breakfast
Having breakfast each morning gives you energy that will last throughout the day. Plus, eating early ignites your metabolism.
Increase your Activity/ Exercise
Exercising and staying active ignites your metabolism. Getting your heart rate up gets your blood and oxygen flowing and increases your energy levels. You will be amazed at how much energy you will have just by starting an exercise routine.
Drink Water
Have you ever noticed how tired you are on the days you do not get enough to drink? Practically every system in our body requires an adequate amount of water. When we fail to drink enough water, dehydration sets in and causes us to feel fatigued. Our body has to work harder just to maintain normal activity. So make sure you drink plenty of water!
Eat Protein
Not only does protein help build muscle, but it is also gets digested slower than fats and carbohydrates. Because of this, protein offers a continual flow of energy to the body as it is being processed. Add a protein shake, bar or a couple servings of cottage cheese to your day to keep your energy levels up.
Cat Nap
Scheduling naps is not just for cats and babies. As long as you do not sleep too long (15-20 minutes should be good) you will not have trouble sleeping at night. Naps in the afternoon before dinner can help you unwind and separate your workday from your evening. It is also important to get enough sleep at night.
Related Articles – The Importance of Breakfast, Benefits of Water, How to Sleep Better
Shane Walker
Site: MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Blog: KeepMovinBlogcast.com
Contact@MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
How to Sleep Better – Get a Good Nights Rest
With our busy lives its often difficult to get in a good nights rest. Millions of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation at some point. It is important to realize that without enough sleep, our health is at risk. Depression, weight gain, increased stress, and mood swings are only a few symptoms of sleep deprivation. For most of us,however, sleep is a luxury that we just can’t afford.
The following tips will show you how to sleep better. You’ll be in a better mood, help eliminate overpowering cravings, look better, and enjoy other benefits of sleep.
Turn off the TV to Sleep Better
There are many of us who like to fall asleep because it relaxes us. In fact, this could be quite the opposite. Having the television on while we sleep can stimulate the mind. When the lights go out, turn off the tv. If you just have to have something on in the background, try white noise. There are even smart phone apps that you can download for free that will play relaxing sounds.
Have a Set Bedtime / Waketime to Sleep Better
Every night aim to go to bed at the same time. Even if you are not tired, get into the habit of getting into bed at the same time each night. This will promote your body’s natural sleep/wake rhythm which improves your quality of sleep and help you to feel much more energized. Be as consistent as you can, even on weekends. Consistency is just as important as number of hours when it comes to sleep.
Unwind to Sleep Better
About an hour before your scheduled bedtime, engage in relaxing activities such as reading. Take a warm bath or stretch. Stay away from heart pumping activities like working out close to bedtime.
Engage in Daily Fitness Activities to Sleep Better
This can be anything from going to the gym everyday, going for an after dinner walk, or playing tennis. Staying fit not only helps promote sleep, but quality sleep.
Watch Your Eating/Drinking Habits Before Bed to Sleep Better
Having a full stomach when you go to bed is not a good idea. Not only will this cause tossing and turning, but it will increase your storage of fat throughout your body. This is because your metabolism slows to a crawl when you sleep. Try to wait at least a few hours after you eat before sleeping. On the other hand, try not to wait too long after eating before you sleep. Going to bed hungry can also interupt sleep. If you find this to be the case, eat something light such as non salted crackers or cottage cheese. A food like cottage cheese also contains a slow digesting protein which will feed your muscles throughout the night.
Although it is important to get enough water throughout the day, don’t drink large amounts of water before bed. You can almost guarantee your sleep will be interupted to make a trip to the bathroom.
Mute your Smart Phone to Sleep Better
With the notification chimes going off every time you receive a text message or when someone posts something to their Facebook wall it can be difficult to get sleep. Make it a habit to mute your phone, or at least turn off the chimes before you go to bed. Your friends new picture albums aren’t as important as your sleep.
Site: MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Blog: KeepMovinBlogcast.com
Contact@MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
My Life Philosophy
Today I had the pleasure of having a luncheon with the CEO of a small but up and coming company here in Colorado Springs. He spoke to us about the philosophy of the company. You would think that his message would be one of profitablity, future growth etc., but it was much more than that. The company’s philosophy focused around people. Focusing on people, not material things like money, is the key to success. It was a very enlightening and energizing experience.
The reason why I bring this up in this health blog, is that this CEO’s discussion caused me to think about my own PERSONAL philosophy in life, which includes health and other areas.
I think we should all take the time to reevaluate our personal philosophy, and focus on how we can make life (for us and those around us) better.
I’d like to share my personal life philosophy with you.
My life philosophy focuses on 4 areas: Health, Family, Spiritual Health, Career. These are not listed in order of importance and I’ll just touch on them briefly.
Health
My philosophy on health is to try to stay as fit and healthy as I can. I’m not perfect and there were many times in my life that I was so far from being healthy it was ridiculous. But I’ve always strived to not only be healthy for myself, but for my family. I’ve taken steps to learn about all that I can on the subject, and now I’m sharing it with all of you through keepmovinblogcast.com and myhealthylivinghabits.com.
Family
I have two young boys who mean the world to me. Being a father is a continuous learning process. I make plenty of mistakes, and I am fine with not being the perfect dad. No one can be perfect. Well maybe to them thier mother is (serious mommas boys!). But my family philosophy is to do the best that I can and be there for them every way possible. This includes my entire family and friends as well.
Spiritual Health
Another area of my life philosophy consists of my spiritual health; to be as spiritually healthy as possible. I believe that being spiritually healthy will improve on all other areas of your life. That is because you tend to have a more positive outlook on life. This may prevent you from emotionally eating, for example. Ironically, my spiritual health is the one area of my life philosophy that needs the most work. I am a spiritual person, but I need to take steps to improve. I won’t go into specifics on how I would like to improve, but I’m sure if this is the case for you, you will have your own ideas.
Career
Learn, Adapt, Learn. That is my philosophy on how I can be successful in my career, and ANY career. Its rare these days that people actually stay in one career field. But if you continue to learn about things pertinent to your skill set, then you will be ahead of the game. Knowledge is defitely power that can never be taken away. With knowledge, you can adapt. I admit I am a major nerd when it comes to learning things. In my spare time I study. Sometimes about off the wall things. But in my experience, sooner or later it will come in handy.
Well I apologize for this long post today. I just needed to get this out. So reevaluate your life philosophy and identify your goals and areas of improvement. Write out a list and post it. It will keep you healthy in all aspects of your life.
keep Movin’
Shane Walker
Site: MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Blog: KeepMovinBlogcast.com
Contact@MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Posted in Healthy Mind |
Tags: Career, Health, Life Philosophy, Self Improvement, Spirituality |
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Stress, Appetite and Emotional Eating
Stress stimulates the appetite. During a study in which individuals were given a task that took a lot of brainpower, the participants ate up to 250 more calories at a buffet afterward than the participants who had relaxed.
Stress not only stokes the hunger fire, but it also ignites swings in glucose (sugar) levels. When glucose decreases, you are more susceptible to cravings.
Instead of giving into these urges, the best way to decrease stress levels and minimize sugar fluctuation is to exercise regularly. Next time you feel ravenous after a stressful situation, squeeze in a work out or at the very least take a walk. Try alternative means to control your stress levels. That could be gazing at a picture of you on your favorite vacation, keeping easy listening on your mp3 player, counting to ten, focusing on your breathing, whatever will put your mind at ease. Try these alternative solutions to dealing with stress and see if your cravings subside.
Emotional Eating
Stress is also a cause of emotional eating. Emotional eating is the leading cause of overeating and will sabotoge your efforts to be healthy and fit. We have added an article on MyHealthyLivingHabits.com titled Emotional Eating that gives you more insight on what it is and how to stop emotional eating.
Related: Healthy Mind Articles
Shane Walker
Site: MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Blog: KeepMovinBlogcast.com
Contact@MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Body Image – Keep Movin’ Podcast Ep. 01
Listen to Podcast | Read Transcript (Includes Links, Images)
Show Topic – Body Image - Subscribe to this Podcast
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
The Show’s topic was about Body Image. I wanted to focus on that issue this week because many of us have or know of someone with a negative body image. There are many ways to create body confidence as you will learn by listening to the podcast. I also talk about Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Many people think they may know someone who has it but you will be surprised to learn about what it is and what it isn’t. For example, you many know someone who constantly checks their appearance in the mirror. Some may find this to be vain and assume that the person may be conceited. Sometimes, however, this could be just the opposite. They could actually be suffering from low self-esteem and are just being paranoid about a perceived flaw. This is a symptom of BDD.
I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment or contact me.
Please visit us at MyHealthyLivingHabits.com.
‘Til Next Time Everyone…. Keep Movin’
Shane Walker
Site: MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Blog: KeepMovinBlogcast.com
Contact@MyHealthyLivingHabits.com
Posted in Healthy Mind, Podcasts |
Tags: BDD, Body Confidence, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Body Image, Low Self Esteem, Negative Body Image |
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