The Energy Queen

Exercise - Exercise is not a sweaty, dirty word unless you want it to be

Exercising is not a sweaty, dirty or hard unless you wish it to be so.  You can have lots of fun exercising by taking a stroll along the waterfront, around your block, at the park, beach or even the mall.  You won't lose any weight for the most part, but you will have greater flexibility, your heart will love you and you will just feel so much better.  Your energy will increase and you may even meet some new friends.
If you are, however, looking to lose weight, increase your endurance,or train for a walkathon, you will need to walk faster, push yourself, climb stairs, hills, and find some uneven terrain in which to explore.  I have been told by some of my friends who lost a good amount of weight that walking up inclines such a hilly areas helped them lose their weight and walking on flat ground did not accomplish this goal.You can also, of course, go to the gym or join an exercise club and do aerobics, use weights, get a trainer, play racquet ball or swim in the olympic size pool.  Most of us do not keep good enough committments to go to the gym enough times to warrant the cost of the membership. If you like to swim go to the community pool or community exercise room and the cost is really quite affordable. 

There is another option to help keep you motivated if you are so inclined and are not motivated by yourself, you could hire a health coach.  What is a health coach you ask, well a health coach is someone who works with you to keep you accountable, and is your support all along the way until you reach your goal or decide to do your goal all on your own.  The coach and the client work together and agree on easy, attainable goals one step at a time.  The coach does not judge or criticitize; the coach is there to be your cheerleader.If you do not feel a health coach is for you, you can ask a friend to be your support, or a family member. 

You should exercise at least 3 - 4 times a week for 30 minutes consistently.  If you exercise one day here and one day there and don't exercise for a month or two you will not reep the healthy benefits of exercising.  Set a goal for yourself and plan out different activities, places to walk and keep your exercise routine exciting.  A quick tip before you go say I will enjoy my exercise time and get great benefit from my time your exercise session will be greately enhanced.

So dust off that bike, shine up those shoes and say these shoes are made for walking and start moving toward better health.  Your body, mind and spirit will love you for it.

If you would like to know about health coaching check out my page

Comments on my blog are appreciated.

Weight Control - Cravings: The Food We Put in Our Mouth When We Are Not Hungry

If you are like a good number of us out there you unconsciously or consciously put food in your mouth when you are NOT hungry. You reach for that cookie, candy bar, pint of favorite ice cream when you are stressed, sad, angry, upset, disappointed, worried, and bored.  How many times can you count that you look down at a bag of chips, box of cookies, quart of ice cream and it is Empty yes Empty...all gone.  You look around and say I didn't eat all that someone else must of had some and there is no one around but you.  It was the mindless putting your hand in the bag or container while watching tv, a movie or just lost in thought.  You feel you deserve to have that cookie, chip, chocolate candy or ice cream.  Oh yes lets not forget the snack cakes, donuts, bagels, nachos and even the occasional bag of carrots and ranch dressing for our more in control days. You worked hard today and the boss yelled at you, the bank messed up your account again and they are not working with you, you broke up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, you didn't get the raise, promotion, traffic was bad, you gained a pound today, you lost two pounds today, there is nothing to do and nowhere to go.  You always have a reason why you must reward yourself but are you really?

Why do we keep allowing ourselves to give into these Cravings?  The answer is ?  Well there are a lot of answers to this question.  You don't know, you don't feel you can control the urges, you don't think you do it that often, why try when you will only fail and on and on.

I am speaking from experience as soon as I come home from work I find myself with my hand on the cupboard door looking inside the cupboard to see what will magically jump out of the cupboard and make everything alright.  But alas there is no magic wand or geni to save the day.  I continue to look for that perfect pacifier will it be chocolate today, crackers, chips, or all three?  The answer is a new approach.

I need to try something different like start taking walks, riding my bike, listening to music, sitting in the backyard and listening to the birds, writing an article, meditating or really eat something if I am truly hungry and make it be part of my evening meal.

I am not sure why we need "comfort foods" I feel that it is the one thing we have control over we choose to eat the food, and we believe we will feel better because we were in control in an out of control world. 

I have been working on just taking a few pieces and putting the rest away; some days that works and other days I find myself going back again and again to have just a few more.  I feel that is when I am truly hungry, and I need to find something that has good protein, vitamins and minerals.

Sitting in front of the tv or watching a movie are the worst times to give into to cravings. Most of the time you are concentrating on the tv or movie that you don't even know you are eating anything.  Also you should not eat your dinner in front of the tv. If you practice mindful eating and chew each bite several times and focus on the texture and flavor of the food you are chewing you will actually eat less and enjoy your food more.

If you cannot reduce or control your cravings, maybe you should try to not have the tempting items in your home.  Decide which item you really want to indulge in and make it a special treat where you get only that item or a smaller portion and reward yourself instead of punishing yourself craving something you only feel bad about eating after you are done.  You will be able to control your weight more also.

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Weight Loss - Food, Food why is it so hard to know what, where and when to eat?

Do you often wonder if there is an easy way to know what you should eat to be healthier and feel better, when you should eat, how much you should eat and where you should eat?

There are no rules set in stone but I hope you get some ideas that will help to begin to shine some light on the massive amount of information on how to eat healthier.

There are so many variations to how we prepare and/or purchase our food such as: fresh, frozen, steamed, baked, broiled, grilled, poached, fried, and raw.

There are also as many foods such as numerous types of meats, vegetables, grains, dairy, fruits, nuts, oils and fats.

So you can probably think about some of your more favorite foods like steak, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, and ice cream.

However, we also need to think about where do we place our values the most is it on the taste of the food? the texture of  the food? the quality of the food? or the type of foods that we put in our mouth for life and longevity?

We need to sit down and take out a piece of paper and list all our favorite foods and foods we don't like so much take a look at the list and circle all the foods that are good for your body and health.  If you are not sure, you can research articles about different healthy foods and no so healthy items on the internet, at the library or a local bookstore.

Also when we eat is very important it has been studied that we should not eat after the sun goes down and not eat again until noon the next day as this gives our liver a chance to rest and repair itself.  Did you know that our liver performs over 600 functions a day?  The way we take care of our body and what we put in it is a very vital factor to health and longevity. 

Where we eat can be just as important as what we eat we should not eat in front of the tv, while talking on the phone, driving, sitting in front of the computer or while laying in bed.  Standing and moving about when eating is preferred. When you sit, lay or are distracted by other stimuli you do not digest your foods properly and stomach problems, digestion problems and lack of nutrient absorption can result.

The amount of food can also be important.  You should only eat until you feel satisfied.  You can check and see in ten minutes or so and if you start to feel hunger pangs have a little more until you are satisified again.  You should not eat so much that your stomach feels overly full.

Some people like to eat three times a day, some people prefer to eat every 2 - 3 hours eating smaller meals throughout the day.  I prefer the every 2 - 3 hour method myself.

I have green drinks, protein bars, fruit, vegetables, whole grain crackers, a little cheese now and again, nuts, seeds, some protein of varying kinds such as chicken or turkey; but for the most part fruits and vegetables are what I focus on during the day.  In the evening I enjoy a salad, soup, assorted steamed vegetables and some protein. Did you know that vegetables contain a huge amount of fiber and you can do very well without having meat all the time.  Fresh salads of vegetables or fruit is very refreshing in the hot summer months and fresh soups made with vegetables in a blender can be very delicious on a cold winter's night. You an also bake or steam squash, sweet potatoes and yams; these vegetables are very filling foods. 

I have even started incorporating cocoa powder into my diet and it is absolutely delicious and very healthy for you.  I am not talking about sugary chocolate I am talking about raw cocoa powder.  This is considered a food with a lot of nutrients and it is also good tasting.   You can make drinks with almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk, soy milk and even dairy milk if you so are inclined.  You can also add so many different items to have a different taste each day.  You can add fruit, flavorings, spices, extracts, yogurt the sky is the limit.

Eating does not have to be a huge chore whether purchasing your food or preparing them.  You just need to take a little time to map out some food choices and plan ahead every so slightly. 

Yes eating can be healthy, fun and even easy. 

So talk a walk through your local supermarket and check out some of the isles on the outer exterior of the store stay away from the middle of the store.  However, do check out the spices, extracts, seasonings and oils.  You may just see something that catches your eye and you can have fun and experiment with a new ingredient, texture or flavor.

Fat - Your Fault? Maybe Not?

I recently came across a topic on how it was discovered that women who exercise, eat healthy, are not stressed out and are very discplined in their eating programs still are not losing weight and keeping it off.  The conclusion to the article was it may Not be their fault.

There are many factors that need to be addressed before a person should throw in the towel and say I just can't lose weight, I just can't get that last 10 pounds off, I just can't keep the weight off when I do lose it.

1.  Mineral deficiency
2.  Vitamin deficiency
3.  Food allergies
4.  Hormone imbalance
5.  Food combinations
6.  Stress
7.  Toxins and poisons
8.  Thyroid.

I will be focusing on the thryoid  today.
The number 1 deficiency in women and most likely in men today is iodine deficiency.  We have taken salt out of our diets, the governmane has taken iodeine out of our breads, and replaced it was a poison called bromine. 

We now have hashintoko diseas, goiters, and many other ailments all contributing to lack of iodine in our diet.

Many women complain that their are tired, lethargic, have foggy thinging, bad memories, fibromylagia, week muscles, lack of enthusiasim and on and on.  This has been shown when they supplemented their diet with iodine just 1 -2 drops a day they started to feel like their old selves again.

There are different types of iodine but the I have had read and gotten approval to use by various doctors is detoxified iodine.  You can take thid product orally in water or by putting the drops on your skin and rubbing it in.  It is important to start slow as with anything new you introduce to your body and then adjust as needed.  Check with your doctor and have him test you for iodine deficiency.  There may even be some type of a kit on line you can order to test for this deficiency.  Some doctors say you are not deficient if that  is so check with a nutritionist or holistic practioner.

Just a few drops of health and you can be on your way to feeling, looking and have a better day.

If you are interested in knowing more, just email me.