Search Results for: blog focus on health not weight

Exercise and Diet Together Help Weight Loss

Thinking about losing some weight? You’ve probably found tons of advice that suggests how to do that. Some of it might contradict the other pieces of advice. Those of you who are confused about what the best plan for weight loss is may want to consider what a recent study found. It turns out you need to focus on both exercise and diet together. A Stanford study about weight gain and obesity was making the rounds on the internet recently. The lead author of the study was Dr. Uri Ladabaum, a Stanford gastroenterologist. In short, he describes the results as … Continue reading →

Developing a Healthy Body Image

There tends to be a lot of mixed messages when it comes to body image. It makes me wonder how tweens and teens are able to digest it all. On one side we are being told that America has an obesity problem and the trend in overweight children is increasing. Yet on the other hand we are bombarded with images of skinny people and made to feel that unless you are stick-thin, you don’t measure up. Both sides of the coin aren’t healthy. We need to meet somewhere in the middle. But it’s difficult. I know because I have a … Continue reading →

How Pets Help Our Health

It’s something I grew up thinking, and I don’t even remember where I first heard the idea: pets improve your health. They’re especially good for the elderly or others living alone. Pets give you someone to care about and look after, bringing additional purpose and companionship to your life. Some recent medical studies, however, indicate that owning pets might have a more direct effect on our health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claim that pet ownership can decrease our blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride. Their studies also indicate that rates of stress, loneliness, and depression are lower among … Continue reading →

Curvy and Healthy

Lately I have been hearing the phrase “curvy” used more and more. Some say it is just a kind way of saying you are fat. But others believe its time to bring back the old-fashioned way of referring to someone who has an hourglass shape. I think it’s important to get one thing straight. Not everyone is supposed to be skinny. Curves in themselves aren’t bad. But one area that needs to be addressed is the middle. Belly fat is extremely unhealthy and increases the risk of serious diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Although … Continue reading →

Overweight and Healthy?

In the past I have blogged about how health isn’t strictly based on body size. In fact, you can be skinny and unhealthy. Now a new study says that not everyone who is overweight is at risk of developing health problems. In other words, you can be carrying around extra pounds and still be healthy. The term being given to these people is “metabolically healthy.” This means they don’t have high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes or a resistance to insulin. So their risk of death is no greater than another person at a healthy weight. For whatever reason, unexplainable … Continue reading →

Heart Sick: How Stress Destroys Health

Study after study shows that stress is a destroyer of health, causing disease and disability. The emotional toll of abuse is manifested in physical stress. Anger, guilt, and fear produce specific physiological reactions that wear down the body. Over time this stress produces physical symptoms that are impossible to ignore or medicate. These can include: – Digestive difficulties including ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome – Heartbeat irregularities – Chronic fatigue – Tightness of the chest – Difficulty breathing or hyperventilation – Muscle tension or shakiness – Headaches – Loss of appetite – Binge eating – Chronic illness such as colds … Continue reading →

Losing the Pregnancy Weight Part IV

Exercising is always a challenge but it seems to be more difficult during the post partum period of a woman’s life. There are so many things to which we as new mother’s are adjusting. It is not an easy transition even if the motivation is there. I began preparing myself for the post partum phase from the very beginning of my pregnancy. I knew that regular exercise and a healthy holistic diet through out my pregnancy would prepare me for the post partum fitness transition. It was my goal to bounce back as quickly as possible. Once my daughter was … Continue reading →

Losing the Pregnancy Weight Part II

I won the competition which was both exciting and sad. I was ecstatic that I won, I put in lots of hard work, but there were lots of other teachers who had more weight to lose and they could have easily beat me and should have. Either way the “biggest loser” competition was the motivation I needed to jump start my weight loss and get me in the habit of regular exercise. I did not stop exercising after the competition … I still had about ten more pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Instead, I continued … Continue reading →

Chocolate Covered Almonds: A miracle of taste and health!

When I get on a kick I keep kicking. Currently I am on an almond kick. After reading about all the health benefits of almonds I am determined to find almond alternatives to my snacking and meals. I have spoken many times about my love for snacking and my quest to find healthy tasty snacks. I have found quite a few and now to add to my list is Blue Diamond Chocolate Covered Almonds. Why Almonds? Almonds are very healthy for you containing rich sources of: *vitamin E *calcium *iron *magnesium In addition almonds contain zinc, niacin, copper, and selenium. … Continue reading →

Focus on Fitness

Although many of us base our fitness on weight and body mass index (BMI), new research from the “Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study” indicates that it’s not as important as making overall fitness changes. So if you want to reduce the risk of serious health problems, then put your focus back on fitness. We can easily get wrapped up in numbers. Personally, I have never been one to say that I want to weigh a certain amount. For me it has been about fitting in a certain size. When I focus less on the number and more on the clothing I … Continue reading →