Healthy, Happy, Unstoppable! - Part 1

Are you feeling healthy, happy, and unstoppable?  If not, why not?  Often the answers to these questions reside in the way we eat, the way we move (or don’t), what we do in our spare time, and in the amount of sleep we get.  Yes, many of us have much more stress in our lives than we care to admit, but there are things we can do to help alleviate this stress through a healthy diet, physical activity, and plenty of sleep.

Guess what, this is not as difficult as it sounds.  However, it is a change in mindset.  You don’t want to feel healthy, happy, and unstoppable for just a moment, a month, or a year. You want to feel healthy, happy and unstoppable for life, right?  This is not just a diet and exercise plan, it is a lifestyle change.  So one word we want to remove from our vocabulary is TRY.  We don’t want to try to change our lifestyle; we will change our lifestyle to maintain good health for life.  So set those goals that will get you to the lifestyle you want, write them down, and let’s get to it!

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.