Club Blog

(ARA) – Eating right is often easier said than done. You like what you like, so breaking old eating habits is never easy. That’s why sometimes it can be easier to slightly modify your diet instead of giving it a complete overhaul.

The good news is subbing in healthier substitutes doesn’t have to make your food taste less flavorful. Here are five healthy substitutions to try on your journey to better health:

1. Make things whole. Consider what type of bread, pasta, flour and rice you are regularly eating. Switching to the whole grain versions of these foods not only helps you cut down on calories, but also add nutrition to your diet. Whole grain foods are also packed with fiber, which helps you feel full and aids digestion.

2. Consider beverages. Did you know the average can of soda contains about 150 calories and no nutrients? On the other hand, try opting for tasteful beverages that have a neutral, or even a positive effect on your health. For example, natural teas can provide added health benefits – oolong tea can help lower your cholesterol and green tea can help boost your metabolism. Like soda, tea can also be quick, easy and refreshing – cold-brewed tea from brands such as Teawan come in packages that can be brewed in minutes.

3. Watch where you start in the kitchen. Cooking more at home is a sure-fire way to reduce the calories you take in, but your cooking methods can be another place to make gains in eating healthier. Instead of using butter, vegetable shortening or lard, consider using olive oil, peanut oil or canola oil, which contain less saturated fat.

4. Creamy substitutes. When a recipe calls for heavy cream, try substituting half and half or milk. Or use yogurt instead of sour cream. These simple substitutions can provide great taste for a fraction of the calories and fat.

5. Modify your meat intake. You don’t have to suddenly become a vegetarian, but try a stir fry using only veggies or substitute ground turkey for ground beef in your favorite recipes. By making a similar substitution once a week or more, you’ll consume less calories and fat – and possibly discover some tasty variations on your go-to dishes.

You may find that some substitutes actually make your diet more interesting and give you more options for healthy eating. As you work toward eating healthier, you ultimately have to find options you enjoy to achieve sustainable and nutritious diet.

By: Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.

Here’s the choice we all have.  We can either be a part of the 80% of Americans who don’t eat properly, sleep enough, make time for healthy relaxation, don’t spend quality and quantity time with friends and loved ones, and simply live in a delusion of being healthy.

This group is likely ill, overweight, emotionally stretched, take an overwhelming amount of daily medication, watch their blood pressure and cholesterol levels soar and their energy plummet.

 Or, we can take the more difficult path, optimizing and reclaiming our own health, fitness and wellbeing, adding years of good living to our lives.   It’s up to us to either choose a passive path to illness, only changing when it’s nearly too late, or take the right steps to actively defend our health and keep ourselves on a pathway to wellness.  We just can’t do both. 

 
 The data is alarming: 

• More than 70% of Americans are overweight or obese
• Less than 30% of Americans get any regular exercise
•  50% of adults in our country suffer from at least one chronic illness
•  Psychological research points to the astonishing fact that 80% of Americans are  “just getting by” when it comes to wellbeing and life satisfaction.  Only 20% are  “thriving.”
•  More than 50% of Americans take at least one prescription medicine at any given  time.
•  Being healthy, fit and having a positive sense of wellbeing places us in the  minority. 

One of my regular reads, “Experience Life” magazine, has been promoting a truly remarkable revolution in do it yourself health, ”Being Healthy is a Revolutionary Act.”  You can find the “Manifesto for Thriving in a Mixed Up World” and “101 revolutionary ways to be healthy” at www.RevolutionaryAct.com

 Here are their 10 revolutionary “truths”:
1. The way we are living is crazy
2. There are powerful social, economic and political forces undermining our health
3. The time for complicity is over
4. The resistance is alive and well
5. Being healthy is a revolutionary act
6. This is not about six-pack abs and skinny jeans
7. Inaction is not an option
8. The best defense is a good offense
9. Forget about quick fixes
10. Solutions in the mirror may be closer than they appear

 Makes you want to read more and join the revolution, right?  Only if you want to repossess your health, (which, by the way, is number five among their 101 ways to be healthy.)  Interested in some of their other ways?

 Try these:  “Practice medicine without a license,” “Aim for 85%,” “Redefine your goals,” “Embrace play,” “Find your fitness edge,” “Say ‘no’ to sodas,” “Identify real hunger and beware of artificial hungers,” “Beware the USDA food pyramid,” “Rest up,” “Invest in your health,” “Go easy on the sugar and flour,” “Focus on action, not outcomes,” and ”Make being healthier easier.” Each one of these, and all 101 of them, has interesting information on their website, too much to include here.

 Become a revolutionary and go to the website to download the free 16 page handbook that includes this information and much more.  It just might help you make the right choice to reclaim your health, become “healthy, hopeful with high vitality” who gives up fast food, learns to cook, gets more active, chooses health care providers who support health not just cure illness, and teaches children the value of the bodies they were born into. Our society makes being unhealthy far too easy to not join this revolution.

(ARA) – Part of the excitement of travel is the thrill of the unexpected, never quite knowing what will happen. While most of the time that’s a good thing, every now and then, surprises can be less than enjoyable, especially if it involves getting sick or hurt while away from home.

All it takes is a little foresight and effective planning to ensure that your trip – wherever you’re headed – is safe, fun and memorable in all the right ways. Below are some essential tips for staying healthy while traveling away from home. 

Don’t forgo first aid
You might think it’s a waste of space in your already tight suitcase, but a small first aid or medical kit is always a smart idea. You’ll want to stock it appropriately for wherever you’re headed, but some good general items to have on hand are bandages, gauze, disinfectant, pain relievers, tweezers, allergy pills, antibiotic cream, sunscreen/aloe and medicine for stomach upset.

Protect against problems
Whether you are traveling 50 or 5,000 miles from home, there is always a possibility that you’ll get sick or be involved in an accident. Purchasing a membership from a travel and medical emergency assistance company like On Call International before you leave will help eliminate your worries. Travelers can purchase a single-time trip or annual membership which include medical and travel assistance services like a 24-hour nurse helpline, emergency medical transportation, 24/7 emergency travel arrangements, worldwide legal assistance and more.

Watch what you eat
While it’s particularly true when you’re traveling abroad, being careful about what you eat and drink is often applicable on trips within the United States as well. One common culprit is buffet food. While a vast array of edibles laid beautifully out for your indulgence seems inviting, it is notoriously difficult to keep foods at their proper temperatures on a buffet line. Make sure that the hot foods are hot, and the cold foods are cold. If you’re traveling to a country where the water supply is not potable, make it a rule to only eat foods that have been peeled or thoroughly cooked – skip the salads and go for the sautees.

Don’t fear the needle
When you’re traveling to destinations with endemic diseases like malaria or yellow fever, make sure that you do your research and make an appointment with a travel health clinic. Some shots only need to be updated after quite a few years (like tetanus, with boosters recommended for adults every 10 years), but it’s always a good idea to face your fears and take the jabs. If you’re staying within the country, flu vaccinations should be a priority, since disease spreads easily in busy airports and on airplanes.

By planning ahead and making smart decisions, your travel plans are even more likely to go off without a hitch. When your trip is free of health-related hassles, you can be sure it’ll be one to remember. For more information about safe travel and medical assistance memberships, visit www.oncallinternational.com.

(ARA) – When fingers get pointed in debates over the obesity epidemic in the United States, technology sometimes shoulders some of the blame. Time in front of computer screens or television is often listed as part of the reason why Americans aren’t as healthy as they have been in the past. But the truth is there are also technological advances that have the potential to guide you in your quest for a healthier lifestyle, whether that is eating right, exercising or keeping tabs on vital numbers that are important to your health.

Take smart phone applications for example. Nowadays, you can find applications for just about anything in life that might capture your interest, and healthy living is no exception. So if you’re looking to stay fit and healthy, here are six mobile apps that give you and your family a little extra help:

Lose It!: Counting calories is perhaps the simplest and most effective way to keep track of your health goals, especially if it involves weight loss. But it’s difficult to do all the adding and subtracting in your head, which is where the free app Lose It! comes in. The app allows you to enter what you eat each day and calculates not only calories, but fat, protein, cholesterol and carbohydrates based on portion size. It also allows you to enter different types of workouts, from walking to yoga, to see how many calories you will burn while you are exercising.

Carb Counting with Lenny: This app is designed to help children with diabetes count carbohydrates to help manage their diabetes, but can be of use to anyone. Using their mascot Lenny the Lion, who also uses insulin pump therapy, Medtronic Diabetes introduced this app, which allows children with type 1 diabetes to learn about carbohydrate levels in basic foods. The application also allows users to create a customizable food guide using their own photos or ones they find on the Internet, as well as play games to test their carb-counting knowledge. Periodic contests and giveaways (www.medtronicdiabetes.com/carb-counting-contest) are announced to reward registered users who get highest game scores. Medtronic Diabetes, which makes such products as continuous glucose monitoring devices, designed the app to be useful and educational for both children with diabetes and others who are interested in monitoring carb intake.

Size Me Up: Another application for kids. This one allows children to enter their current height and receive estimates for how tall they might be in the future, at any given age. This can be used to help keep your child motivated to eat right, so they can grow up to be tall and healthy.

BP Buddy: This application allows people who are monitoring their blood pressure to input their blood pressure numbers and heart rate numbers and log them for up to 60 days. An e-mail feature allows users to send their numbers to their doctor for analysis.

The Carrot: As an interactive journal, this application allows you to track multiple items related to health. In addition to entering information on meals, workouts, and even medication, you can also enter your assessment of your moods or the level of job satisfaction you are feeling at the moment to see if you can pinpoint what healthy habits work best for you.

FitReach: This training and diet application allows you to enter information on your meals, as well as workouts. It also encourages you to do regular weigh-ins so you can compare your weight loss with your goals on graphs that are a part of the app.

Applications are available on iTunes and can also be downloaded through your iPhone, smart phone or other compatible mobile device.

(ARA) – Getting fit makes you feel good inside and out. When you exercise, your clothes fit better, your energy levels get a boost and it helps the stresses of your life melt away in a pure endorphin rush. Luckily, no matter where you live, it’s easier than ever to get exercise all year round so that you can maintain your health and fitness.

Whether you’re pounding the pavement or hitting the gym, keep in mind that beauty and working out aren’t mutually exclusive. With a bit of smart preparation, you’ll be feeling good during your fitness routine and gorgeously glowing afterward. Keep these ideas in mind to help you look great, even between workouts.

* High and dry: High temperatures might be what we crave during colder months, but when you’re being active, they can make you feel less than your best. For a new way to stay fresh and dry, The Body Shop offers its DeoDry collection – it gives you 24-hour protection and contains no aluminum salts or parabens. Powered by a volcanic mineral that has powerful absorption abilities, the deodorants will help you stay dry during your hardest workouts.

* In the drink: As you work out, it’s natural that your body will shed water in the form of sweat, and it’s essential that you keep your body’s fluid levels up. Dehydration can cause everything from discomfort to serious sickness, so don’t let your body down. Even when you’re not working out, hot days call for extra hydration. The added benefits are that drinking more water can help to keep your skin clear and your appetite sated.

* Face forward: The exertion of exercising can be a pore-clogging nightmare. That’s why it’s particularly important to have a good skin care regime adapted to your skin’s needs. To keep your skin radiant and in balance, keep products like a refreshing mist spritz and an exfoliating cleanser on hand and in your medicine cabinet. The Body Shop Vitamin C skincare line has those two essential items and more – including a must-have SPF 30 daily moisturizer.

* Hair apparent: Swimming’s a great way to stay active – whether in the pool or the ocean – but it can take a toll on your locks. Whatever your activities, it’s important to use an eco-friendly shampoo – after all, a good choice for the environment can be a good choice for you, too. The Rainforest Hair Care collection from The Body Shop will leave your tresses shiny and manageable and is free of parabens, silicone and colorants. Even better, all the formulations are biodegradable so they are not harmful to organisms living in the water. If your tresses are stressed out, be sure to give them a deep conditioning treatment, too.

Whether your inspiration is getting healthy or a beauty boost, exercise is the best way to do it. Taking advantage of the opportunity to work out, regardless of the season, with these thoughts in mind will help you look your best, throughout the year. For more information, go to www.thebodyshop-usa.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent