It was February 2003 that my daughter announced that her friend's yellow lab had a litter of puppies and she wanted one.  She had already picked out the one she wanted from the litter of  six, three chocolate labs (like their dad) and three yellow  labs.  The one she chose was a beautiful golden male with a pink nose.   After much debate, the kids decided to call him AJ.

AJ quickly warmed our hearts with his sweetness.  He was our constant companion.  It was so much fun to watch him try to chase the kids running down the hill in our backyard.  He would go tumbling every time.   He loved to play fetch with a stick, especially when we would throw it into the pond.  He would swim after it and bring it back so that we could throw it back in the pond for him to chase again and again.

When we moved to San Antonio, AJ would ride with me every morning to take the kids to school and he would cry when they got out of the car.  I've always worked outside the home; however one summer I worked from home.  AJ was my constant companion - at the computer, fixing dinner, picking up the kids, whatever I was doing.  He loved to go on hikes with us, and he loved going with us to the beach.  Actually, he didn't care what we did as long as he could come along, and we would take him as often as we could.  

Needless to say, AJ is a very important family member and we love him so much!  In June of this year I took him to the vet because he was sneezing a lot and sometimes he would have nose bleeds.  The vet found a tumor in his nose and suggested surgery.  He explained the risks to us with a dog of AJ's advanced age, so we postponed the surgery until our son could get home from the Army.  At the end of July AJ had surgery to remove the tumor.  

We had hoped the surgery was a success, and AJ did have a little over a month of easy breathing.  Unfortunately, the tumor is back with a vengeance and now it is cancerous.  He still wants to play fetch in the backyard, though not for very long.  He still eats like he should, but I can tell that he just doesn't feel real well.  He is always happy to see us - his tail still wags though not as high.  He is such a gentle sweetheart!  I know that AJ is not much longer for this world and it breaks my heart, but my family and I will always have such special memories of him.

Physical Activity
Some of you will look at this subheading and say, “Really, you expect me to get up and move?”  Um, yes, that’s what I’m saying.  It doesn’t have to be anything strenuous.  I’m not asking you to run a marathon unless that is something you are used to doing.  I’m not asking you to be a “gym rat” unless you already are one.  I’m simply asking you to take 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week to get up a move.  Take a walk for 30 minutes (it can be three 10 minute walks a day if you want).  Put in an exercise DVD or go on YouTube to find an exercise you like doing.  The key is to find something you enjoy and will continue.  If you’re not in good shape, don’t expect too much of yourself in the beginning.  Do what you can each day, and in no time you will be able to keep up.  Consistency is key!

Why do we want to get physical activity?  There are many health benefits to physical activity and here are a few:

1. Increased Energy – I don’t know about you, but this is reason enough for me.  Physical activity increases blood flow and oxygen throughout the cells of our bodies making us feel less tired, stressed, and weary.  Whatever time of day you prefer to exercise – morning to help get you energized for the day, or evening to help alleviate the stresses of the day – make this a habit you won’t want to miss.
2. Reduces Body Fat – Increased physical activity burns calories.  It helps increase your muscle mass which in turn increases your metabolism. You look better and feel better.
3. Strong Bones and Muscle – With age comes loss of bone density and muscle mass unless we take steps to keep them strong.  This means that we must do some type of strength training in our physical activity.  You really don’t need any fancy weight training equipment to strength train.  Do you remember calisthenics in high school?  Jumping jacks, squats, sit-ups, pushups, superman, donkey kicks, leg lifts, planks…..  If this doesn’t sound fun, how about a Zumba, Yoga, Spin class, or some other type of class or DVD that will give you some strength training?
4. Improves Range of Motion – Physical activity helps you move more freely.  Except for the initial soreness you may feel when you begin an exercise program, physical activity keeps you from feeling stiff and sore that a sedentary lifestyle causes.  Again, because of the increased blood flow and oxygen within our cells, the pain of arthritis is diminished.
5. Helps You Sleep – Physical activity helps stabilize your circadian rhythm which increases your ability to get a good night’s sleep.  Sleep is essential for a healthy immune system, stress reduction, and to repair and reorganize the brain, and to increase cell repair.

Plenty of Sleep
Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise – Ben Franklin.  We need between 7-9 hours of sleep per night.  This is vital for our health.  Did you know that lack of sleep causes obesity? Yes, with too little sleep our leptin (feel full) and ghrelin (feel hungry) hormones become unbalanced.  Lack of sleep creates too little leptin, thus we feel hungry and tend to over-eat.  It can also cause heart disease, and diabetes.  So what are the benefits of sleep?

1. Sleep makes us more creative.  A Harvard University study shows that while we sleep the emotional components of memory helps us become more creative.
2. Sleep improves our ability to learn.
3. Sleep helps us stay focused and more alert.
4. Sleep lowers stress and helps stave off depression.
5. Sleep is essential for our overall health and well-being.

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Who is willing to change their lifestyle to become healthy, happy, and unstoppable?  Please comment below to let us know how you will change your lifestyle and how we can help.  We’re in this together!  Let’s encourage each other to be the best we can be!  Are you in?

Healthy Diet
Any of you who know me know that I have struggled with my weight over the years.  Believe me when I say I have tried about every diet out there and have lost weight with every one.  The most success I’ve had though is with those that allow me to eat a balanced diet, such as Weight Watchers or the Mediterranean Diet.  The secret is staying within a certain calorie range to lose weight.  To lose one pound per week, you must cut out 3,500 calories per week from your diet.  There are apps out there that will help you log your food and stay within your calorie limit.  My favorite is My Plate.  I have synced this with the website livestrong.com in the My Plate section.  After you have logged your height and weight, it will ask you how much weight you want to lose (or gain) and how many pounds per week you want to lose.  It then gives you the number of calories you can consume in a day to lose weight.  As you log your food it shows the nutrition value and number of calories consumed.  There is even a place to log your exercise.
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What should you eat?

1. Fruits – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, watermelon, peaches, pears, apples, oranges, bananas, plums*.  Whatever fruit you will eat, consume at least two servings a day.
2. Vegetables – spinach, green beans, kale, okra, lettuce, onion, mushrooms, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery*.  Again, whatever vegetables you will eat, consume at least three servings a day.
3. Protein – poultry, fish, beef, pork, eggs, black beans, kidney beans, white beans, tofu, soy protein, whey protein*.  Choose about 6-8 oz. of protein a day – men will need more.
4. Whole Grain – whole wheat or multigrain bread, corn, oats, rice, bulgur, rye, whole grain cereal* (without sugar). Two servings a day.
5. Healthy Fats – avocado, nuts, olive oil, mayonnaise, butter, peanut butter, almond butter, salad dressing*.  One serving a day.
6. Diary – Low fat milk, hard cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, soy milk*. Two servings a day.
7. Water – At least 8 – 8 oz glasses of water a day.
8. Multivitamins - as directed.

*Note – this is not a complete list of food items for this category.

If you need a sample diet plan to help get you started, there are many out there on the web.  Be sure to choose one that is balanced, allows protein in every meal, including snacks to help keep you feeling full, and that does not go below 1200 calories per day.

In Part 2 of Healthy, Happy, Unstoppable!  I will talk about physical activity and getting plenty sleep and why this is important to changing our lifestyle.  What are your goals, and how can we help you achieve them?  Please leave a comment below.