Get Healthy Bloghop

I was also interviewed by the lovely Ella, who wanted to feature some of my photography on the poetry site, With Real Toads. In addition, she wrote two beautiful poems to go with my images at her SITE.

Get Healthy Bloghop

Hosted by Stephen Tremp, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Michael Di Gesu, and myself.

The Objective: Share with everyone something you have done that affected your health in a positive way. You can share an awesome low cal low fat tasty recipe. Post simple tips to lose weight. Or a testimony on what has helped like joining Weight Watchers. Recommend a routine like P90X or Insanity. Or stretches one can do while sitting in their office chair working or writing. I'm sure people have countless great tips and ideas they would love to share.

Getting healthy involves a good diet and exercise. But those can’t be extremes you do for a while and then go back to your regular routine. They have to be permanent lifestyle changes.

I’m a motivational speaker, and when I talk to groups about making changes, I tell them the biggest mistake most people make is they try to change everything at once. “I’m going to work out two hours a day, seven days a week! I’m doing the liquid diet for a week and then after that, only salads and water! Carbs are evil and I’m never eating them again!”

How long will that last? A few days? A week - maybe? Not only is it difficult to
make such radical changes, it’s hard on your body. Neither your mind nor your body will want to cooperate. (And for the record, carbs are NOT evil. 75% of my diet is carbs and I’m a healthy size 2. The next person that tells me pasta and potatoes are fattening is getting pelted with said food.)

Want to change how you look and feel? (Or not end up with a big butt like Spunky the cat?) Instead of radical changes, try these small ones:

• Cut out one or two sugar drinks a day and replace with sugar-free drinks or water.

• Skip the mayo and go for the mustard.

• Use butter spray on your food instead of butter from a tub.

• Eat more vegetables - broccoli, mushrooms, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, etc. They have almost no calories.

• Eat lower fat crackers. Several brands are not only lower in calories and fat, they have only a couple ingredients and aren’t loaded with additives and preservatives.

• When baking, use applesauce in place of the oil or butter.

• Make eating out a treat rather than a daily occurrence. Most restaurant and fast food meals contain enough calories for three meals and twice your daily fat intake.

• Take a thirty-minute walk shortly after dinner - burns calories and aids digestion.

• Go play a game outside with your spouse and/or kids. (You could probably all use the exercise and fresh air.) Play Frisbee, badminton, catch, basketball, go bike riding, etc.

• Find someone else who wants to get healthy and exercise together, whether it’s running, swimming, biking, hiking, or playing on a team.

Those are just a few suggestions - what else can you think of that would be a small but significant change?

Visit other participants or join us: