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You are here: Home / Archives for healthier lifestyle

Action list for Habit Change

October 29, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Just because the holidays are rapidly approaching does not mean that we get a free pass on changing bad habits.

Fat man holding a measurementIf you’re trying to change your lifestyle, don’t make the mistake of waiting until “after the holidays.” After all, they’ve been going on for over 2,000 years; they’re not stopping anytime soon.

So, for those dedicated souls who wish to enter next year without regret about having “blown it” during the last two months of the year, here are several strategies to navigate your way to a new you in the new year.

Be “sparklingly clear” about what your definition of success looks like.

How will you know you’ve arrived if you don’t know what it looks like when you’re there? It’s true; the result might look different than expected. However, one doesn’t begin a trip without at least an idea about where he’s going.

Describe success in as much depth as you can. Use numbers whenever possible while also focusing on the feelings that will result from your hard work. Use concrete descriptions in defining your goals.

Instead of “I will lose weight,” try (for example) “I will wear a perfect size ten comfortably by January 15.”

Take ridiculously tiny steps.

Small steps done regularly will always generate more results than large steps done intermittently. In other words, it’s better to walk a block and really do it than to swear you’ll run a mile and never get around to it.

If after saying, “I will do (whatever),” you’re not 100 percent absolutely dead-on totally confident that you really will do that, then that goal is too large. Make it small enough so that you have no excuse to not do it.

By the way, a good indicator is that if your inner critic is telling you’re not doing enough, you’re probably on track.

Embrace the rough patches

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Diet, Failure, goals, Habits, Health, Holidays, Newspaper Column Tagged With: achieving your goals, clarity, difficult times, habit change, healthier lifestyle, lifestyle choices, small steps, support

Birthday Cake Ban

October 15, 2014 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

I hate being one of those crotchety old people who hears a story, shakes his head in disgust, and says, “When I was a kid…”

grumpy-old-man-with-caneYet, I find myself in that position (hopefully I am not crotchety however).

“When I was a kid…” I don’t remember parents bringing birthday cakes or cupcakes to classrooms. I just don’t think it was done way back then; maybe they melted on the stagecoach ride over. Who knows? Yet, times change and it appears to be standard operating behavior for parents to do so nowadays — that is, unless you reside in Northern Kentucky.

Burlington Elementary School in the Bluegrass State revised its wellness policy.

The end result is a ban on food for school birthday celebrations. We’re not just talking about cakes; rather — in the interest of promoting healthier food choices — ALL other snacks are now verboten. Non-food “treats” such as pencils, balloons, erasers and book-marks are suggested. (“Happy birthday Johnny, now blow out your bookmark!”)

The intention is laudable; they’re actually doing some-thing to combat the ever-burgeoning obesity crisis and attempting to shift the focus of celebrations away from food. Good on them for that. And there are indeed health concerns involving food allergies; not to mention, I imagine it’s purt’ near impossible to school a child redlining on a sugar buzz.

Yet I have concerns.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Baby Boomers, Current Events, Diet, goals, Health, Newspaper Column, Rant Tagged With: birthday cake ban, birthdays, boone school district, childhood obesity, edmonds school district, food choices, healthier lifestyle, lifestyle choices, schoolchildren, succesful weight loss

Diet Schmiet! Why Lifestyle is More Important.

August 13, 2013 by MikeTremba Leave a Comment

Every time a friend tells me she’s trying a new diet, I want to smack her in the head.

If you’re health-conscious, I’m sure you feel the same way.

Hit-in-head-by-2x4

Now, while I wouldn’t suggest actually doing that—the results, I’ve found, aren’t great—it’s definitely important to help people who don’t quite understand “health” see what it really means to eat and live well.

They might not thank you, but their bodies will.

Why Dieting is Dumb

“Diet” comes from the Greek word for “useless.” At least that’s what I assume, because that’s what most diets are: totally useless and ineffective.

Diets essentially tell you to eat X for Y amount of time and Z will happen; “Z” is always some outlandish claim like, “You’ll lose eighty pounds!” or “The man of your dreams will appear on your doorstep in a Speedo!”

And they’re always inaccurate. Temporary changes don’t create permanent results.

Being unhealthy is a problem. So is drinking. People with drinking problems make a lifelong commitment to change their behavior; people with health problems need to do the same.

“No Diet” Doesn’t Equal “No Rules”

Don’t misunderstand me: not dieting doesn’t mean eating burgers three meals a day. A healthy lifestyle means having a healthy diet—diet, here, meaning “what you eat.” Sticking to that diet is the most important part.

The Truth About Abs reviews are a great read for people who think crash dieting or 90-day bootcamp workouts are the key to health. The reviews are all from people who started a program (whatever healthy program that may be) , stuck to it, and found results.

Stuck to it, like, forever. Like, that’s how they live now. Because that’s how you get healthy.

Mental Health is Health, Too

If one more of my friends tells me she needs to go on a diet because she’s out of shape… well, you already know what I’m likely to do.

And that’s another myth I need to debunk while we’re on the topic of diets: “out of shape,” what does that mean? I’d like to be a rectangle, but I’m an octagon instead?

Humans aren’t shapes. There’s no “right” body. People who look in the mirror and don’t like what they see often think that eating better and working out will change that.

It won’t. At least not to the degree that they want it to, usually.

If you hate your body, you have deeper problems than poor health. You need to practice some self-love.

Before any one of us can commit to eating well and staying active, we need to feel motivated to do it for ourselves. And if you hate yourself, you’re not likely to feel too motivated.

Try this: every morning, look yourself in the eye in the mirror and tell yourself you’re beautiful. Didn’t work? Do it again. And again. And ten more times, until you believe it.

You’re never going to stick to a healthy way of living if you don’t think you deserve to be healthy. Once you realize how worthy you are, the rest is easy-peasy.

Eat Well and Exercise

That’s all you have to do.

Stop eating fast food. Cut sugar out as much as possible. Limit caffeine and alcohol, and eat a lot of raw foods like fruits and veggies. Incorporate plenty of meat and nuts into your diet, but stick to lean cuts and only buy organic.

And find a physical activity that you love. Running, yoga, spinning, rugby—try everything until something sticks, and then stick with it. Get your friends involved to help you stay motivated to get out there and be active, and take turns trying out each other’s favorite physical activities.

Join a gym, too. Wherever you live, there’s probably weather. And I don’t want to hear anyone whining about how it’s been too cold, rainy, hot or whatever to go running or get on your bike.

The hardest part about working out and eating well is getting started. Once you’ve incorporated both into your routing, you’ll feel better, look better, and live a better life. I promise.

Now go do it!

Hannah Tool, through a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, and online help from sites like reviews of the Beyond Diet program, has worked her health into the best it can be, even though she’s challenged with Crohn’s disease. She writes, spends time with her boyfriend, her dog, and wonderful friends, and always seeks new inspiration for life. Among other things she’s thankful for, is the ability to help others eat well, lose weight, and regain their lives.

Filed Under: Diet, Guest Author, Weight Loss Tagged With: bad habits, diet, healthier lifestyle, lifestyle change, weight loss

One Telephone Pole at a Time

February 28, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Photo from Alegna Marie's Photostream on Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/angela_sleeping/

It was painful to watch her try to walk; albeit not as painful for me as it was for her.

“Sit down,” I suggested, pulling up a chair, wanting to relieve her of her burden.

She stared at it, shakily supporting herself with her metal cane, the type with four rubber-capped legs that stands on its own. “Do you have a chair without arms?” She asked, referencing her size with a flick of her bulky arm. “It’s hard for me to fit in this type of chair.”

I scurried away and returned with the requested model, placing it behind her. She sluggishly lowered her heaviness on to the seat, all the while leaning weightily on the cane for support. After placing herself, she exhaled a strained sigh of exhaustion, took a moment to regain her composure, and said, “Hi, I’m Sheila. I need to lose weight. I can’t live like this anymore.”

I’m always interested in what triggers us to finally take action. After all, weight doesn’t come on overnight. We fight it for years, constructing excuses, living in denial; until eventually we cross a line that drives us from needing to do something to actually doing it. It’s at that nexus where I enter the scene.

“What brought you here today?” I asked.

“I can’t get my mail.”

“Tell me more,” I said, looking for clarification.

She exhaled again, attempting to catch her breath. “My mailbox is at the end of the driveway, which is up a hill.” She rested. “Well, it’s not really a hill, it’s more of an incline, but I can’t walk that far anymore. I needed someone to bring me the mail yesterday.” Another deep exhalation escaped her lips as she steadied herself on her cane, relying on it to steady herself while sitting. “That’s no way to live. I have to do something.”

That was how we met.

Unfortunately, after a few months, she got a new job and moved away. We lost contact.

Not long ago, she resurfaced, visiting family in town. I did not recognize her.

“You look fantastic!” I exclaimed, upon realizing who she was.

“I’m down 163 pounds – and I walk every day.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, Health, Motivation, Newspaper Column, Overcoming Obstacles, Weight Loss Tagged With: change, exercise, healthier lifestyle, healthy lifestyle, lifestyle change, motivation, quality of life, small steps, weight loss

Seeking Long-Term-Relationship, Must Share Common Values

October 24, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus

We are imperfect beings; therefore so too are our relationships.

We engage mouth before activating brain. We dismiss our partner’s concerns as irrelevant. We can be inconsiderate, petty, or cranky. It’s part of the human condition; we mess up, and since we live with others, we hurt them. We don’t intend to — but we cannot deny that we do. It matters not how much energy you put into it, nor how long you’ve been together; even the finest relationships cause some pain.

At our end of days, should we be so fortunate to take inventory of our most important relationships and can proclaim them as  “good” more times than not; then indeed they were “good.”

A successful long-term-relationship is not without flaw; rather, it:

  • Incurs less damage during conflicts
  • Recovers from that hurt more quickly and fully
  • Tilts the scale in the direction of “happy” rather than “unhappy”

Short of choosing the wrong partner — those whose relationships fall asunder did not necessarily disagree more often than those with “good” relationships. Instead they had unrealistic expectations, conflating conflict with failure; and did not possess a method to handle disagreement when it raised its unpleasant, but unavoidable, head.

When any relationship is smack dab in the midst of a “rough patch,” our initial reaction is to flee the pain.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Baby Boomers, Diet, family, Inspiration, mental health, Relationships Tagged With: attitude, better relationships, conflict, disagreement, happiness, health and happiness, healthier lifestyle, long term relationship, relationships, unrealistic expectations

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