Healthy Lifestyle Tip--Food is not the Enemy

#FoodNoEnemy
#NoMoreSuperSized
#HealthyEating
#ChooseHealth
#Nutrition
#HealthyLifestyleTip
#WhyLivligaWorks   
#Livliga  
#LiveVibrant

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Midyear Update- Steps to take in 2016--Creating a mindful and ever present purpose

Midyear Update on My Mindful Progress

Part of making goals is reviewing them and checking in on how you are doing with them. Every once in a while it is important to take a moment to look over goals and see what is working and which ones need to be rebooted. I did that recently with my 2016 New Year's goals.

As a reminder below are my goals:

Creating a mindful and ever present purpose- living a healthy lifestyle
    •    Changing how I think about food and me- it is not who I am. It is what fuels me and provides
         great pleasure
    •    Self hypnosis- getting my mind on board and reinforcing the growth-mindset, over and over
         again
    •    New mantra- favorite food shift- visualizing healthy foods like: celery and chocolate PB2
    •    Meditation- taking a few minutes each day to breath, relax and believe that I am worthy of
         feeling and looking good
    •    Paying attention to how I feel and doing something about it- doing my exercises to heal and
         strengthen from injuries and tending to myself when I am tired or not feeling well
    •    Adding time to my cardio work out-  increasing my time from 30 minutes to 40 minutes in
         order to go for the next 50 pounds. Consistently practice interval exercise
    •    Mindful eating- eating what makes me feel good not the comfort food of indulgence
    •    Log all food- even on "bad" days
    •    Sleep more hours each night- get in bed at 10:30 and lights out at 11. Goal 7 hours
    •    Making a healthy lifestyle permanent and sustainable- getting my mind, heart and body all on
         the same growth-mindset
    •    Include Weight loss as part of the plan- Going for the next “50”. Total to lose- 57   pounds;
         looking at it in 3 segments of 19 pounds each. Target months-- April, August, December.

                 ◦     Sub goal 1: lose the weight over a years time
                 ◦     Sub goal 2: lose 5 pounds per month



So where am I? Overall the goals remain relevant and meaningful to me. What was nice to realize is that I have stuck to a few of my goals and made real progress.

There is only one goal I have found too hard to sustain--logging everything I eat. It just is too hard to do. I know it is important to be mindful of everything I eat and track it. Not sure what a practical solution is. For now I am approaching it more from a pre-planning what I eat. I use my meal planner to plan out our dinners. Most dinners are for 4 so they work for the next day's lunches as well. Breakfast is always the same- oatmeal. Then I make my grocery list which includes healthy and calorie conscious snacks. This is working when I am home and feels doable to me.

The goal I feel the best about is ramping up my cardio work out from 30 to 40 minutes. I do this every time I work out and I work out 5 days a week. Most mornings I do interval jogging with my fast walking. I am proud of myself for sustaining this goal and change in my once rote routine. It proves to me that I can change.

Morning Routine on June 3, 2016

The goals I am enjoying working on and making more a part of my daily life are those around self hypnosis and meditation. I have found some great resources that I have found very helpful. Below are links to two of them:

The Gabriel Method: Visualization

Deepak Chopra: Meditation Exercise for Stress Relief

Losing weight remains an ongoing challenge. I have lost 7 pounds since the first of the year, far less than I had planned. Nothing new there but I am glad to focus on lifestyle changes that are sustainable, enjoyable and making an overall difference in my health.

My take away? It is worth it to make new goals with the new year. Resolutions may not work but goals can and do. Also some goals are more attainable and sustainable than others. Some goals may need a work around if the overall importance of the goal is still relevant but the current tactic isn't working, like logging everything I eat. Ultimately it is about "keeping on keeping on", enjoying the process and the pleasure in changing for the better while learning about new things, like meditation.

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Healthy Lifestyle Tip--Take Time to Chew

#ChewLonger
#HealthyEating
#ChooseHealth
#Nutrition
#HealthyLifestyleTip
#WhyLivligaWorks   
#Livliga  
#LiveVibrant

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The Biggest Loser Failure or Fallacy

There has been a lot of buzz about the recent study that was published regarding what happens to past contestant of the Biggest Loser. The study followed 14 out of the past 16 contestants from Season 8 for the past six years. What they found, which is not surprising to any of us who have struggled with weight loss, is that each of the 14 contestants followed gained their weight back. What is big news is what weight loss does to our metabolism, particularly when we lose large amounts of weight, like the contestants on the Biggest Loser. Our metabolism slows down. And what they found with the contestants is that even after six years it remained slow. This is a problem and explains why we struggle to keep the weight off that we have lost. It is not just about going back to our old habits or a lack of willpower.

The hormone Leptin seems to be the biggest influencer on our ability to keep weight off. Our body keeps levels of Leptin constant. When we lose weight we mess with those levels. Our body tries to maintain the level of fat it is used to so when our Leptin decreases our body puts in to play mechanisms that make us hungry and keep our metabolism slow so we hold on to more fat. Our body has no way of knowing what is “obese”, “normal” or “underweight” for our bodies. What it does understand is what it considers “regular” and “constant”. It will regulate according to what is our usual weight. That is why, like with the contestants of the Biggest Loser, we have a hard time keeping off the weight we have lost. Our body is fighting us and trying to get us back to what it has known as our “normal state of being.”

So what are we supposed to do with this new found information? Give up on trying to lose weight? Say good-bye to our healthy lifestyle altogether? Is there any hope?

The gurus at the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center are providing us with a glimmer of hope. They are clear about the reality that it is not easy to succeed long term but they are equally clear that there are those who have succeeded. They think the road map is in studying and mimicking the behaviors and lifestyles of those who have succeeded. The road map comes from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). The NWCR was established in 1994 by Rena Wing, Ph.D. from Brown Medical School, and James O. Hill, Ph.D. from the University of Colorado to follow individuals that have lost over 30 pounds and kept it off for long periods of time. The NWCR follows over 10,000 people currently.  Dr Hill has also written a great book highlighting the successes from this research State of Slim.

What they see as evident is that it is all about lifestyle and constant mindfulness. Those that succeed are mindful about what they eat. They exercise regularly. And when they do gain a few pounds, like 10, they are proactive and do something about it rather than continuing to live with ongoing weight gain. Creating an environment that supports you in a long-term healthy lifestyle is a must. This includes how you live, how you eat, how you exercise and even the friends you keep.

So the way I see it, the Biggest Loser study is a reality check. The outcome is no surprise. We’ve personally seen it before. We guessed the contestants were going to “fail” at keeping the weight off just as we have in the past. The fallacy is in thinking the outcome could be any different. There are no miracle cures or quick fixes. No doubt we all wish there were. To succeed we know it is hard work and we need to create a support system to help us succeed long term. Who do we need in our lives to help us? What tools do we need to support us in healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle? And really important to me, and I suspect you too, how do we make it “doable” and fun? If we can’t make it fun we won’t be able to sustain our healthy behaviors long term.

Let’s commit to hang in there together and have some fun while we are doing it. Are you “in”? May we all Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!

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Healthy Lifestyle Tip--Be Present When You Eat

#BePresent
#PayAttention
#HealthyEating
#ChooseHealth
#Nutrition
#HealthyLifestyleTip
#WhyLivligaWorks   
#Livliga  
#LiveVibrant

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Refueling after a Workout--focus on high protein snacks

During the winter most of my workouts happen inside with the exception of some days where I snowshoe or have the good fortune to experience a warm winter day with sunshine that is good enough for a bike ride.
As the days get longer and warmer I spend more time outside. We garden a lot and look forward to longer bike rides, kayaking, hiking and swimming.  We burn many more calories. I've learned that it is important to refuel after a big expenditure of energy. You always need to drink a big glass of water...or two and you need a high protein post-workout snack.

My friend Molly Morgan RD who is a well known and regarded Registered Dietitian has helped design an infographic that highlights great protein sources for a good refuel. I've also included a couple of links if you are interested in going online and ordering up some healthy snacks to have on hand from a family-owned and operated company--Nuts.com. As a co-founder of a family run company myself, I always like supporting a like-minded company focused on health and high-quality.


And as a helpful hint from Livliga: don't forget to portion out your snacks and put them on a right-sized plate.

Enjoy your perfectly portioned snack on a Celebrate side plate!

Looking for just the right plate? Livliga offers a side plate in three patterns (so be sure to pick the one you love best) perfectly designed for portioned snacks. Not only are they beautiful, artist-designed dishes, they are also packed full of science so you'll feel fuller at the end of your snack and satisfied.

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Healthy Lifestyle Tip--Make Fruit the First Thing You See

#SeeFruitFirst
#UseVisualQs
#HealthyEating
#ChooseHealth
#Nutrition
#HealthyLifestyleTip
#WhyLivligaWorks   
#Livliga  
#LiveVibrant

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Why Livliga Works--our dinnerware is lead-free and uses FDA approved food-safe inks

Livliga Dinnerware

by Debra Lynn Dadd | Feb 16, 2016 | Debra's List, Dishware, Food

Elegant portion control dinnerware made of sustainable and durable porcelain. Attractive designs make it easy to put controlled portions on a plate and have it look appealing. Dinnerware is “lead free” and uses only FDA approved, food-safe inks for the decoration.

There are so many reasons why Livliga works for living a healthier lifestyle. An important reason is that we use materials that are certified safe and are also eco-friendly. In order to live healthfully Livliga believes the products you use should also be healthy to use.

We are pleased to share with you that our products were recently showcased on Debra Lynn Dadd’s website which is the largest website available on toxic-free living. We are honored to be listed and included there.

Here is more information on her website:

The Largest Website on Toxic Free Living…

This website is all about how to recognize toxic chemicals that are harmful to your health and how to protect your health from them. It has more information on this subject than any other website. This website addresses all aspects of being healthy in a toxic world, including choosing an finding toxic free products of all kinds, how to detox toxic substances from your body, and how to repair the damage toxic chemicals have done to your body.

and the ONLY Website that is 100% Toxic Free

There are many websites now with information about toxic chemicals and safe alternatives. But often this information is mixed with many other subjects that are not related. This website is dedicated to everything toxic free: my directory lists only toxic free products, all health tips are oriented around removing toxic chemicals from your body or repairing toxic damage, every recipe tells how to use toxic free foods and prepare them in toxic free ways. How to live toxic free is THE subject of this website, and nothing else.

Debra Lynn Dadd goes on to explain:

Exposure to Toxic Chemicals is the #1 Health Problem in the World Today

Virtually EVERY Health Problem Has Now Been Associated With Toxic Chemical Exposure

If you have a health problem, chances are toxic chemicals are contributing to it. If you want to protect your health, live longer, look more beautiful, improve your sex life, lose weight, think more clearly, or improve your physical, mental, and spiritual condition in any way, becoming free of toxic chemicals will help. In fact, it is clear to me that if you have and physical or mental condition, toxic chemical exposure is probably at the root of it.

Livliga is committed to help build a world that is healthier to be in and live in. We recognize the importance of this third-party acknowledgement and wanted to share it with our readers.

Live vibrant!

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