Mindfulness Matters

 

Imagine what your brain can do with enough mindfulness?

We've all heard that statement, "Enjoy every moment; life is short". Yes, it really is. But, how can we make our day to day "drudgery" of the 9 to 5 more meaningful, and well, less robotic and meaningless?

There really are health benefits to what we can to lead a more mindful life. It is about living in the moment - in the NOW -- and not looking ahead to Friday night happy hour, an exam, or even traffic school. While it is exciting at times to look forward to an event we've been waiting for, by living in the moment, we can be more present and effective in whatever we are doing. Then, in looking back -- once happy hour on Friday night happens with friends -- you can honestly say you did your best and now you can reap the benefits with less stress and more enjoyment in the moment.

To learn more about Mindfulness and its many benefits, check out the article here.

 

Determinants of Health

 Human lives are strong, yet frail at the same time. Yes, if one sets their mindset on achieving something big and important -- there is no doubt that it can be accomplished, right? Well...there are many factors that can determine what makes some people more susceptible to illness than another. It is not just diet and exercise.

In learning more about what makes up determinants of health, we can find out so much. There is a collection of factors, namely personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that greatly influence our health. Questions can be about whether there have been policies regarding better safety regulations in public places and more specifically around one's own neighborhood. Social determinants can include such things as public safety and good schools and physical determinants could include your local housing and development.

Poor health can be made even worse if there are not enough safeguards available. Health services, an individuals' health and even genetics can all play a role in the determinants of health. To learn more about them, check out this link here. 

Focusing on a Great Life 50 and beyond

 Something happens to us when we reach a big number like 50. Things like reflection, awareness, curiosity and even fear can become that much more visible to us and our loved ones. It takes real courage to face the good, bad and the ugly. But, focusing on getting older can be a great time to adding a new skill to our toolbox like an art class, karate, learning Spanish or improv.

Taking a deep breath (literally) and doing what we can to positively reflect on what we have done and still can do could be the best thing for us. Especially in a time where there is much kaos in the world, we need to "dig deep" and find what empowers us to be better human beings. What do we still want to do with our lives? Can we be grateful for the things we have? Can we be courageous and pay it forward in ways that give us hope for a brighter future for future generations? How can we change embedded behaviors that have been part of us for so long?

By working on those things that can bring us joy (like art class, karate, learning Spanish or improv) we have the opportunity to grow a healthier state of mind too. This can also lead us to creating healthier habits that can become lasting like making a healthy breakfast, taking the stairs more often than not and even counting to 10 when we get upset on our drive to work. Life is short, it's up to us to make our 50s and beyond as meaningful as ever.

How do we get back to the Joys of Eating and Learning about Real Food?

We're in a New Age of Obesity. How did it happen?

It's hard to say how we've entered a new age of obesity; but, it's happened. Perhaps there are several sources to blame -- but, is there really one source or one group to blame for it? Of course not. We do know that there have been changes -- even gradual changes in our current Obesogenic environment -- that have gone unnoticed by most, wouldn't you say?

In reviewing this article, we find that blame need not exist for the obese population and for that matter the 'unhealthy' population'. So how about creating a healthier food-friendly environment, more opportunity to instill more education for better health and wellness. And...where does our government? our food scientists? our 'lose-weight-fast' scammers stand on our Obesogenic environment? Hasn't our society been deceived already by the many food-related tricky businesses out there? It's time to implement healthy education, good news on making healthy food affordable and creating a healthier environment for future generations to come, wouldn't you say?

"Just as jobless people are blamed for structural unemployment, and indebted people are blamed for impossible housing costs, fat people are blamed for a societal problem. But, yes, willpower needs to be exercised -- BY GOVERNMENTS. Yes, we need personal responsibility - ON THE PART OF POLICYMAKERS. And yes, control needs to be exerted - over those who have discovered our weaknesses and RUTHLESSLY EXPLOIT THEM".

Why You Need A Health Coach Now More Than Ever

Health and Wellness is at the forefront of most people's minds, wouldn't you say? How many of us are obsessed with learning the benefits of following a certain diet only to find out that there is one that has been medically proven to be better. 

How can we focus on creating habits that perpetuate all the added benefits of taking care of ourselves so that we reap the benefits of what good health and wellness can provide to us for years to come? 

And....how good are we on following through with what we say we are going to do? "This time I really intend to lose those last 20 pounds" or "I most definitely will change the way I eat, sleep and exercise now that I know I'm diabetic".  Will we really be good with our word? Will we follow through on what we said we were going to do? This is where a health coach comes into play. How will you be held accountable to what you said you were going to do? Are you ready to make the change? How will you know you are ready to make the change? 

Read on and learn more about the benefits of having a health coach...and frankly, why you need a health coach now more than ever.

The Key Role Health Coaches Play In Stopping The Chronic Disease Epidemic

Why is Turmeric and Black Pepper such a great combination?

I'll tell you all -- I truly enjoy writing and sharing what I learn along the way about nutrition, health and wellness in general. Although it has been a good while since I've posted, please forgive me -- we all fall off our regularly scheduled routines from time to time. 

As time passes and we get busy with our day-to-day routines, life challenges us, right?  Just never ever forget to take care of yourself! Especially with life going at warp speed and taking steps to reach our best health goals -- it's always good to learn new stuff about ways to eat better, sleep better and simply better manage how we live our lives.

My goal as a health coach is to continue learning new things and sharing them with you all. In fact, if you'd like to learn more about something, send me a comment. My passion is and always has been one that includes the foods we eat and what foods are best for our bodies, but it doesn't stop there. How can we be sure to be equitable with the foods we put in our bodies on a daily basis? What happens when we splurge too much and forget to go to the gym for x, y and z reasons? How do we get rid of the guilt we feel when we don't do what we 'should' be doing? How about keeping the momentum up by doing small things that we can add to our lives.

Again, there is no doubt that we can go on various different diets, lose weight by doing cleanses or exercise like crazy and lose those final dreaded pounds, right? But, what about consistency? How can we just enjoy our lives as much as possible and not punish ourselves because we ate terribly. No need for all of that! Start out by cooking at home more. Test yourselves and try new ingredients. Dare yourself to be better and guaranteed -- you will feel better and be more productive. Challenge yourself to learn about what makes certain foods really good combinations too and start incorporating those foods into your diet. 

For instance, did you know that Turmeric and Black Pepper are truly the "dynamic duo" of great spices to add to your own healthy kitchen arsenal? Like a great chef has a kitchen arsenal of cookware and tools, why shouldn't you arm yourselves with healthy ingredients to make for a healthier you?

Did you know that the golden spice Turmeric -- which already has a list of proven health benefits -- gets even better by combining it with Black Pepper? In fact, the Curcumin in Turmeric and the piperine in black pepper have been proven to show an overall improvement in health because of their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and disease-fighting qualities. Now imagine adding these two ingredients together in some foods like scrambled eggs, or roasted vegetable or even a simple curry! Truly delicious and nutritious -- what better combination is there, really. 

Check out the article here to learn more about these ingredients and experiment in the kitchen. Who knows you may become known in your household or even in your circle of friends as being the 'go-to' chef with a flare for creating delicious and nutritious meals. And who doesn't want to hang out with that person! Enjoy....