Okay, I promise not to make a lot of steps. Three is a good number for now.
WMWB Step 3: Set a measurable goal.
Pick one area you want to make improvements on in your life. It could be quitting smoking, losing weight, or anything else. Once you've chosen the area, pick a goal that you can measure in numbers. For example, I want to lose 30 pounds by April 2009. Setting a goal in that format (how much and by when) makes it very easy to see how far you've come, and how far you still have to go.
Setting a goal in this manner will also make you feel great, knowing you've actually made a commitment to yourself and the universe. Write it down, either on your calendar, in your journal, on a sticky note attached to your monitor. Keep it in a place where you can look at it on a daily basis. Keeping focus on your goals will greatly improve your odds of completing them.
Then, refer back to step two, and do something right NOW to place yourself one step closer to your goal.
Personally, I need to lose a little more weight. I have lost the "baby weight" that comes with having two kids, and now I'm looking to tone down and get my weight into the healthy column. I set my goal (30 pounds by April 2009) and then I did my first step. I joined Sparkpeople, a totally free site that gives you all the tools, motivation, and support you'd need to complete a diet and fitness program. The only hard part is stepping away from the computer long enough to do your exercise! The site is great, and I recommend it to anyone who'd like to lose a few pounds, or those who want to maintain their current weight.
Here's your link: Free Online Diet Plan at SparkPeople.com
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wellness News: Fat Princess and L.A. Fast Food Ban
This morning I read a few health articles on Yahoo News: Fat Princess Game and L.A. Fast Food Ban. I thought I'd share my insights on these with you, I found them to be quite interesting.
The Fat Princess game is a new offering from Sony. In it, you fatten up your princess with cake so your enemy will have a tougher time whisking her off to their home base. Feminists are already up in arms, but it has been revealed that the lead art director of this game is, in fact, female.
I like this idea. Although the look of the game is super cutsey, and is one I'd probably never play, I think it is a great idea. Our heroine doesn't need to be a stick figure, or fit in with society's view of how she should look. Come on, Princess Peach could stand to gain a few pounds, admit it. I'm glad there's a princess out there who is comfortable with her love of cake, and is not afraid to show it. Granted, for better wellness, you need to eat a diet with more variety, but self-acceptance is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. This gal's got it.
In L.A., the city council is looking to ban fast-food establishments in the most impovrished areas of the city, citing health and obesity concerns. While I am glad for their concern, I have to wonder what they're going to eat at all: "South LA residents lack healthy food options, including grocery stores, fresh produce markets — and full-service restaurants with wait staff and food prepared to order." Well, if they won't have fast food restaurants either, all that's left is snacks from the gas stations — hardly a viable alternative for those trying to eat better.
Assuming that the poorest among us have the extra cash to eat out at all, do you think they'll be able to afford to eat a Double Quarter Pounder meal every day? Hardly. I come from a rather poor background, and even trips to fast-food places were usually reserved for pay day, not a daily event. Dollar menu items are a more likely candidate, and due to their "value", they typically have less calories than their Meal Deal counterparts.
In fact, I believe that the typical middle-class person has more to fear from fast food restaurants. With the high-paced lifestyle that so many people are living, it is far easier for them to drive over during their lunch hour and get a Heart Attack Sack to-go. More importantly, they have the income to sustain such a lifestyle, at least in the short-term.
Only educating people on how to change their eating habits, and how to make the life changes to sustain healthy eating, will improve the rates of obesity in America. Banning fast-food restaurants will not help people change their lives. If they want their Whopper, they will find a way to get it.
After all, the princess has you leading her minions to retrieve her cake. She doesn't even need to leave her castle.
("Double Quarter Pounder" and "Whopper" are trademarks of McDonald's and Burger King, respectively.)
The Fat Princess game is a new offering from Sony. In it, you fatten up your princess with cake so your enemy will have a tougher time whisking her off to their home base. Feminists are already up in arms, but it has been revealed that the lead art director of this game is, in fact, female.
I like this idea. Although the look of the game is super cutsey, and is one I'd probably never play, I think it is a great idea. Our heroine doesn't need to be a stick figure, or fit in with society's view of how she should look. Come on, Princess Peach could stand to gain a few pounds, admit it. I'm glad there's a princess out there who is comfortable with her love of cake, and is not afraid to show it. Granted, for better wellness, you need to eat a diet with more variety, but self-acceptance is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. This gal's got it.
In L.A., the city council is looking to ban fast-food establishments in the most impovrished areas of the city, citing health and obesity concerns. While I am glad for their concern, I have to wonder what they're going to eat at all: "South LA residents lack healthy food options, including grocery stores, fresh produce markets — and full-service restaurants with wait staff and food prepared to order." Well, if they won't have fast food restaurants either, all that's left is snacks from the gas stations — hardly a viable alternative for those trying to eat better.
Assuming that the poorest among us have the extra cash to eat out at all, do you think they'll be able to afford to eat a Double Quarter Pounder meal every day? Hardly. I come from a rather poor background, and even trips to fast-food places were usually reserved for pay day, not a daily event. Dollar menu items are a more likely candidate, and due to their "value", they typically have less calories than their Meal Deal counterparts.
In fact, I believe that the typical middle-class person has more to fear from fast food restaurants. With the high-paced lifestyle that so many people are living, it is far easier for them to drive over during their lunch hour and get a Heart Attack Sack to-go. More importantly, they have the income to sustain such a lifestyle, at least in the short-term.
Only educating people on how to change their eating habits, and how to make the life changes to sustain healthy eating, will improve the rates of obesity in America. Banning fast-food restaurants will not help people change their lives. If they want their Whopper, they will find a way to get it.
After all, the princess has you leading her minions to retrieve her cake. She doesn't even need to leave her castle.
("Double Quarter Pounder" and "Whopper" are trademarks of McDonald's and Burger King, respectively.)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Second Step to Wellness
Usually, these kinds of articles will have an entire list of things you can do to improve your life. Well, not today. If you're going to make life choices that you can live with, you need to do it one step at a time.
WMWB Step 2: Get up and do something, right NOW!
Yes, get out of your desk chair and do one thing you have been putting off. It could be taking the dishes off your desk to the kitchen, or finding that book you've been meaning to read. Something simple, something that should take less than five minutes.
Don't worry, I'll wait....
Okay! You have taken a tiny step in improving your life. Why does something so small and insignificant matter? Because it is an action. You have done something, anything, and it means your life is that much better for the five minutes you spent. You have accomplished one step towards your goal: improving your wellness.
Now, I know you're thinking that such mundane actions don't seem like a lot. They may seem totally unrelated to your goal of losing 10 pounds, or clearing the incessant clutter from your mind. But in reality, such things do matter. Many people give up on their goals simply due to inaction. They say, "I'll get to that later." Later usually arrives on New Year's Day, with a whole new set of resolutions, and fades out again three days after. Now is the only moment you have control over.
Whenever you feel yourself dragging, out of focus and depressed, get up and do something. The small bit of power you wield over the smaller points of life, will translate into bigger and better things, once you have established what it is that you want and how you intend to get it. If you find yourself not remembering to do this, set a timer to go off in one hour. Then, when it goes off, do something. You would be amazed at the progress and empowerment you will have gained after just one day.
For a great website that takes these "Babysteps" and applies them to all aspects of your life, check out Flylady.net. This site was originally created for those whose houses have become over cluttered and out of control, but has grown substantially and expanded to health and mental wellness as well. Although geared toward the caretaker of the home (think the busy housewife and mom) the system works for anyone, guys included. It's worth the look.
Now I'm off to clean my desk. After all, taking care of the mundane items leaves room for the great ones.
WMWB Step 2: Get up and do something, right NOW!
Yes, get out of your desk chair and do one thing you have been putting off. It could be taking the dishes off your desk to the kitchen, or finding that book you've been meaning to read. Something simple, something that should take less than five minutes.
Don't worry, I'll wait....
Okay! You have taken a tiny step in improving your life. Why does something so small and insignificant matter? Because it is an action. You have done something, anything, and it means your life is that much better for the five minutes you spent. You have accomplished one step towards your goal: improving your wellness.
Now, I know you're thinking that such mundane actions don't seem like a lot. They may seem totally unrelated to your goal of losing 10 pounds, or clearing the incessant clutter from your mind. But in reality, such things do matter. Many people give up on their goals simply due to inaction. They say, "I'll get to that later." Later usually arrives on New Year's Day, with a whole new set of resolutions, and fades out again three days after. Now is the only moment you have control over.
Whenever you feel yourself dragging, out of focus and depressed, get up and do something. The small bit of power you wield over the smaller points of life, will translate into bigger and better things, once you have established what it is that you want and how you intend to get it. If you find yourself not remembering to do this, set a timer to go off in one hour. Then, when it goes off, do something. You would be amazed at the progress and empowerment you will have gained after just one day.
For a great website that takes these "Babysteps" and applies them to all aspects of your life, check out Flylady.net. This site was originally created for those whose houses have become over cluttered and out of control, but has grown substantially and expanded to health and mental wellness as well. Although geared toward the caretaker of the home (think the busy housewife and mom) the system works for anyone, guys included. It's worth the look.
Now I'm off to clean my desk. After all, taking care of the mundane items leaves room for the great ones.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
WMWB's Purpose
Welcome everyone. This is the first edition of my health and wellness blog, Well Mind, Well Body. I'm glad you've stumbled upon WMWB, because it means that you have an overall interest in taking care of yourself. However, it is not as easy as just dropping a few pounds, or learning how to set some goals for your life. Total wellness is a major life change, a single step at a time. It's not going to happen overnight, and it's not going to continue after you stop in a few days. You have to make a simple commitment to yourself. Take a moment right now, and promise that you will do your best to make the right choices for you, each and every day.
There, now you're in! I will bring to you various topics that promote mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Some may be worthwhile and informative websites I've found, others may be articles of my own experiences or information I've put together. Go ahead and suggest topics! I'll be happy to incorporate them, as time allows.
Check back often; more is on the way!
WMWB Step 1: Affirm that you will make the best choices for you today.
There, now you're in! I will bring to you various topics that promote mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Some may be worthwhile and informative websites I've found, others may be articles of my own experiences or information I've put together. Go ahead and suggest topics! I'll be happy to incorporate them, as time allows.
Check back often; more is on the way!
WMWB Step 1: Affirm that you will make the best choices for you today.
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