A few of my latest offerings published at LIVESTRONG. Read. Enjoy. Share.

• Does Losing Weight Make a Difference?

Yes, it does. Read why losing weight — even if just a modest amount — can have big benefits for your overall health.

• Does Exercise Help Make Your Bones Stronger?

Again, the answer is yes. Learn the types of exercises you should do to increase your bone strength and to slow down bone loss associated with aging.

• The Effects of Refined Carbs

Choosing the not-so-healthy carbs affects your health. Here’s why you should make better carbohydrate choices.

Have a healthy day!

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Exercise, Healthy Eating, Potassium, Magnesium and Zinc
• Exercise, Heart Rate and Artery-Clogging Fast Food
• Bone Strength, Antioxidants, HDL and Balanced Meals
• The Effects of Food, Staying Fit and Why Sodium Matters

Ran 6 miles yesterday and 5 today. I also got in a bike ride on Monday that was cut short (went an hour instead of 1.5) because of mechanical problems. Glad I was close to a gas station to find/use the tool I needed to patch/fix the problem.

While I run I listen to sports radio and I am always amazed at the types of commercials that air. Today I heard an ad for some açai miracle product that only required “one capsule a day” and made sure to state “no lifestyle changes required.” It’s too bad, really.

If only it were as simple as one capsule a day.

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Exercise
• Casper
• Solid Monday Start
• Mall Walk

“Other than not smoking, exercise is the single best thing you can do to get healthy or stay healthy and keep chronic diseases at bay.  Exercise is far more than merely a way to lose or control weight.”

— Walter C. Willett, M.D., chair, Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health (from Eat, Drink, and be Healthy)

Other Posts You Might Like:

• You Need Your Heart and It Needs You
• Solid Monday Start
• Mall Walk
• New Bike

Making healthy changes in our lives takes time.  It takes patience, determination, and dedication.  The key is actually starting and staying consistent. 

No matter where you are in your get-healthier journey, remember that it’s YOUR journey and no one else’s.  It’s easy to want to compare yourself to other people’s health/fitness levels, and that can sometimes be discouraging.  Don’t do it.  You are where you are and if you’re making the necessary changes that you need to, that is just fine.

I ran my first half marathon last weekend and had a great time.  After I finished I headed home to shower up and then we went out to breakfast.  It had been a while since I had finished by the time we drove by the course to get to where we were going.  There were still runners out there plugging away to the finish.  It was awesome to see.  They’re on their own journey and they’re doing just fine.

Same thing happens at triathlons.  I don’t have the best equipment, I just make do with what I have.  On the bike leg, people are flying by me on their rocket-ship bikes.  Yeah, it’s frustrating, but I’m not competing with them.  I’m competing with myself trying to beat my previous best time.  It’s my journey.

Don’t get caught up comparing yourself to others, especially when it comes to health.  If you are making a legit effort to improve your health, then you are doing what you can. 

So what if you read so-and-so’s blog and they did something awesome that you can’t do… congratulate them and don’t compare.  So what if you get passed by slow, old grandpas and grandmas during a race… keep plugging away to the finish. 

Remember, it’s your journey and if you’re honestly doing your best trying to get yourself healthier, then you are on the right path.

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Women and Heart Disease
• The D Word
• Frustrating Time of Year
• Make a Better Choice

“Change starts with the individual choices Americans make each day for themselves, their families and those around them. To help achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle, Americans of all ages should: reduce consumption of sodas and juices with added sugars; eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins; drink more water and choose low-fat or non-fat dairy products; limit television time to no more than 2 hours per day; and be more physically active.”

– from The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation Fact Sheet

Read the full copy of The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010. 

Make a better choice today with something relating to nutrition and fitness.  Then do it again tomorrow.  Change has to start somewhere.  Why not start today and now?

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Let’s Move
• Make a Better Choice
• Weight Loss, Bone Strength and Refined Carbs
• No Change Necessary?

Important message for women and everyone else to take better care of your heart.  Read more from Stacey Shipman here and also, don’t forget to check out Go Red for Women. 

Other Posts You Might Like:

• It’s YOUR Journey
• The D Word
• Frustrating Time of Year
• Make a Better Choice

“Lifestyle changes can help you control and prevent high blood pressure – even if you’re taking blood pressure medication.”

– via Mayoclinic.com

I know I’ve talked about this before about a thousand times, but it’s still important.  You can do something about high blood pressure.   You can start right here and right now (don’t have high BP?  Send this to those you know with high BP):

1.  Eat healthier foods.  Try the DASH eating plan.

2.  Decrease salt intake.  Here’s a thought… vegetables (and everything else) don’t need tons of salt and butter to taste good. 

3.  Maintain a healthy weight.

4.  Physical activity.  More of it.  Find something you enjoy doing.

5.  Manage stress in your life.  I don’t know how you want to do this one, but you’ve gotta do it.  Read a book, put cucumbers on your eyes and relax, deep breathing, etc.

These tips and more found at Mayoclinic.com Lifestyle and Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure.

Pass this on. 

High blood pressure or not, we could all probably do better with these things. 

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Sugar-Sweetened Drinks and Blood Pressure
• Exercise
• Lower Sodium Intake
• Prevent Breast Cancer

“Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.”

– Robert Collier

Happy Monday!

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Two Choices
• Believe
• One Thing – Healthy Monday
• Motivation to Change

So where does that always-elusive motivation come from?  I don’t know.  That’s on you.  Everyone is different and everyone has different motivation for the things they do.  The bottom line is that it has to be strong and it has to be there for us to be successful with our health goals. 

So what motivates you to get out of bed early and hit the gym, pavement, or pool?  What triggers you to get to the yoga, spin, or pilates class after a long day? 

What goes through your head as you decide what to eat during the day?  What makes you want to make a healthy (or healthier) choice? 

We all have something that motivates us.  If not, we need to find it. 

Feel free to share what motivates you to live a healthy life.

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Two Choices
• Win Your Championship
• Obstacles
• Believe in Yourself

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”

– Denis Waitley

Have a great Monday!

Other Posts You Might Like:

• Believe in Yourself
• Finding the Motivation to Act
• Don’t Wait
• Win Your Championship