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You are here: Home / Archives for lifestyle choices

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

Want Change? It Starts with the Correct Question

September 10, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

There is always another choice.

choice, options, alternatives
We might not like the choice. We might not be immediately aware of the choice. It might not even be the best choice. But we are never stuck with only one option.

The key is to ask ourselves, “How” do we change this, not “Why” are we here.

Once you answer that question, the alternative(s) will give you power.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: goals, Motivational Monday, Self Talk Tagged With: best choice, choices, conscious choice, lifestyle choices, options

There is Always Another Choice

August 27, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

There is always another choice.

We might not like the choice. We might not be immediately aware of the choice. it might not even be the best choice. But we are never stuck with only one option.

The key is to ask ourselves, “How” do we change this, not “Why” are we here.

Once you answer that question, the alternative(s) will give you power.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Habits, Motivational Monday, Overcoming Obstacles, Overcoming Temptation, planning, Productivity, willpower Tagged With: best choice, choices, conscious choice, excuse, lifestyle choices, no more excuses, options

4 Online Nutrition Education Resources for Families

July 1, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Teaching your kids healthy eating habits and preparing nutritious meals for them is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. With childhood obesity rates on the rise, making sure your children eat right should be one of your major concerns. Unfortunately, unless you majored in nutrition in college, you may only have a vague idea of how to create healthy meal plans for your family. Many parents cook the same recipes for their kids that their parents cooked for them: casseroles, pot roasts, spaghetti and meat balls, etc. While many of these traditional home cooked meals aren’t necessarily bad for kids, they aren’t always necessarily the healthiest options.

If you want your family to learn more about nutrition and eat smarter, here are some online resources that you’ll find helpful:

1. Eat Smart, Play Hard – Sponsored by the USDA, this website provides parents with important nutritional information to help their kids make smarter eating choices and healthier lifestyle choices. Additionally, Eat Smart, Play Hard offers a useful meal planning tool for families and tips on how to grocery shop and exercise as a family to promote health.

2. KidsHealth – This website offers nutrition and fitness information and tips in addition to information about the human body and health in general. There are three versions of the KidsHealth site: one for parents, one for kids, and one for teens. The content on each of the sites is geared toward the different age groups. So, your kids and teens can learn more about how to stay healthy on their own versions of the website, and then the whole family can get together and compare notes.

3. BAM! – Made by the CDC for kids, BAM! uses games and cartoons to teach kids more about nutrition, diseases, physical fitness, and safety. If you want your children to understand why it’s important for them to eat healthy and stay physically active, you’ll find this site to be incredibly beneficial. BAM! might even get your kids excited about eating their vegetables.

4. Parents.com Kids Nutrition – If you’re having trouble coming up with healthy recipes to prepare for your family, you’ll find the Kids Nutrition section of the Parents.com website to be incredibly beneficial. It’s chock full of nutritious recipes and healthy eating tips and information.

The above websites well help your family get informed about nutrition. Remember that healthy kids and parents make for a happier family!

About the Author: Nadia Jones is a freelance blogger who loves writing about education, new technology, lifestyle and health. As an education writer, she works to provide helpful information, pointers, and the most recent online college news for students looking into online degrees.

 

Filed Under: Diet, Exercise, Guest Author, planning, Weight Loss Tagged With: childhood obesity, diet, family, healthy eating habits, healthy meal plans, lifestyle choices, meal planning, nutrition education resources, nutritional information, physical fitness

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