Posts Tagged ‘lifestyle changes’

by Jessica Lynn

May 17

3:42 pm

Life Transition: Lessons Learned

Today is my second day back from maternity leave, and so far it’s been a smooth transition back into the working world. As I learned also with my first little girl, you can try and try, but there is no way to truly understand all the ways your life will change when you bring a new addition to your family. Of course there are the “not-so-fun” changes, like waking up 3 and 4 times a night to a hungry baby, diapers that need to be changed, or the trouble a toddler gets into as a cry for the attention she used to always have. That said, all these things never seem to outweigh the pure joy, love, and happiness you receive when you look at that baby’s smile and happy eyes. It is a transition time for the whole family – a major event that each family member will always remember. I’ve found it’s also a time that requires a lot of patience and flexibility. Here are the lessons I’ve learned, or maybe I should say “reviewed”, over the past few weeks:

1. Be in the moment

We cannot change the past, so don’t revel in it. Our search for happiness should not only be in the future, as we never know how much “future” we have. There is no better teacher than an infant child in showing us how important this life lesson is – no grudges, no worries, and a genuine happiness and pureness that is rarely seen elsewhere. It may be impossible to have a life (an adult life) with no grudges or no worries, but it doesn’t hurt to strive for that!

2. You’ve got to have “structured flexibility”

Anyone who’s been around children knows that they thrive when they have a routine. There’s a time for eating, a time for play, a time for reading, a time for bath, a time for bed… and so the cycle goes. But sometimes, one person’s routine does not mesh with another’s. For too many nights I found myself saying, “what time is it?” and the answer was “Hala’s bath time, Jada’s fussy/cuddling time, parents’ dinner time… and all an hour behind.” You can’t just throw up your hands and say “I quit.” You make adjustments and carry on, and let go of the thought that it wasn’t the seamless evening you had planned.

Read the rest of this entry.

This entry is filed under SELF.

by Jeff Ford

May 1

8:30 am

No Comments

Coaching Corner: Change Your Environment

Wellness Coaching It’s un-describable being at Hilton Head Health; we’re in this bubble on an Island, secluded in a plantation surrounded by the healthy lifestyle every day. H3 is a bubble of positive energy, unwavering support, controlled portions, phenomenal exercise classes, continual encouragement and immense motivation. What if we all lived in this bubble? What if we engulfed ourselves in an atmosphere like this at home and at work? I’ll tell you one thing… We’d all be pretty dang healthy, that’s a fact.

The most important step in every guest’s journey begins when they step out of the bubble of H3. That first step is when the environment changes. If you don’t take anything away from this blog take this: Change Your Environment, Don’t Let Your Environment Change You.

Here are the first steps to changing your environment:

Clear out the Kitchen. We unknowingly sabotage ourselves when we stock goodies or treats in the cupboards. Make sure your home is a nutritional blockbuster. Maintain fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains at all times. Take it one step further and have one day each week that you commit to cutting berries, peeling carrots, chopping lettuce, portioning meats, and bagging metabo meals.

Layout the Game plan. Whether you’re a planner or not, create a system in your environment that maps your weekly game plan. Make Exercise Appointments in your weekly planner or calendar; these appointment should highlight what exercise you’ll be doing at a specific time of day. Remember to keep it visible, somewhere you’re guaranteed to walk by at least once per day.

Surround yourself with support. Make certain that people around you aren’t throwing you off your game. Place yourself around people who are positive, excited for life, and the kind of people that health is ingrained in everything they do. Our peers have the biggest impact when it comes to executing our true intentions.

Keep at Least One Cue. Whether it’s a picture of your kids, you crossing a finish line of a race, or the vision of you at your healthiest; there has to be one thing in your environment that draws you back—At all times, one tangible item or image that intrinsically motivates you to make healthy decisions on a day to day basis. Zig Ziglar says: “Motivation doesn’t last, that’s why I recommend it daily.”

Take these action steps and implement them into your everyday life. Evaluating and controlling your environment is the ultimate key to sustained success. No matter what happens, Catch yourself each day, Control each situation, and Change it to your healthy lifestyle.

This entry is filed under Healthy Lifestyle.

by Adam Martin

April 12

2:59 pm

No Comments

Book Review: SWITCH – HOW TO CHANGE THINGS WHEN CHANGE IS HARD

Switch

Chip and Dan Heath, the bestselling authors of Made to Stick , have once again struck literary gold with their newest hit SWITCH . The tandem set out to dispel the myth that “change is hard” and “people hate change.” It occurred to them that if “people hate change, they have a funny way of showing it. Every iPhone sold serves as counter-evidence. So does every text message sent, every corporate merger finalized, every aluminum can recycled. And we haven’t even mentioned the biggest changes: Getting married. Having kids. (If people hate change, then having a kid is an awfully dumb decision.)”

Their researched churned up some very intriguing studies from world renowned psychologists around the globe. The evidence is presented in a “three-part framework”. For things to change, somebody somewhere has to start acting differently. Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s your team. The analogy that develops throughout the text is that each person has an emotional “Elephant” side and a rational “Rider” side. The weakness of the Elephant, our emotional and instinctive side, is clear: It’s lazy and skittish, often looking for the quick payoff (ice cream cone) over the long-term payoff (being thin). Most of us are all too familiar with situations in which our Elephant overpowers our Rider. The Elephant’s hunger for instant gratification is the opposite of the Rider’s strength, which is the ability to think long-term, to plan, to think beyond the moment. However, the argument is made that the Elephant also has enormous strengths and that the Rider has crippling weaknesses. So the objective is to “Direct the Rider” and “Motivate the Elephant”. Dan and Chip effectively communicate the ways in which to do both.

The third part of the framework is that every Elephant and Rider need a clear path to succeed. Therefore, tweaking the environment around you to influence your change is vital to your success. A similar argument made in Bryan Wansink’s book Mindless Eating (btw, a Bob Wright favorite), where he proves that plate size influences eating habits.

So to make a Switch you must: Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant and Shape the Path.

I found the most insightful part of the book was when Chip and Dan Heath describe that successful switches happen when people find the bright spots meaning we should investigate what’s working and clone it!

I really enjoyed Switch and I think you will too!

This entry is filed under SELF.

by Cheney Maddox

January 15

3:34 pm

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Making an Educated Decision

If you are like most, on January 1 2010, you made some sort of promise, or resolution, to make changes in your life. I can bet that you probably even made a list. But, did you go as far as outweighing the pros and cons?

Some decisions require very little thinking – made impulsively; but others, require a little more deliberation. When it comes to making a decision, most people weigh the costs and benefits of the choices they are about to make. This process of weighing your options is called decisional balancing.

Lifestyle changes fall into the category of challenging decisions, for example, making time for 30 minutes of cardio activity into your already packed schedule. As I mentioned the other day, our January challenge encourages this behavior, but what will be the real reason to implement this change? When the costs of an activity outweigh the good – then you will make the decision to change.

So – if you would like to make the choice to add 30 minutes of cardio exercise into your daily routine follow the steps below.

First, ask yourself ‘What do I stand to lose and gain by continuing an inactive lifestyle?’

Then, fill out the chart below, and see what you have to lose.

REGULAR EXERCISE

INACTIVITY

BENEFITS

COSTS

You can also do this with any other lifestyle change, like changing your eating habits, or any other big decisions like changing jobs, moving, or making a big purchase.

You are the one who will decide to change – so make sure you list the most important reasons why you want to change.

What would you do? If someone offered you $100,000 to comfortably integrate four exercise sessions into a busy work week, you would certainly do it. How would it be different if there was no payment involved?

Information from MyExercisePlan.com, through the American College of Sports Medicine. For a downloadable chart – visit http://www.myexerciseplan.com/assessment/DecisionalBalance.pdf

This entry is filed under Fitness, Nutrition.

by Cheney Maddox

December 17

4:03 pm

1 Comment

Wright from the Source: Fruits & Veggies

By Bob Wright, H3 Director of Education

Shopping cart with vegetables

If there is one thing we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is that fruits and vegetables are good for us. Yet only 23% of us consume the recommended minimum of 5 servings a day.

According to a recent CDC report , fewer than 15% meet the target of getting a variety of different color fruits and vegetable. The evidence is over whelming, a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables lower the risk of virtually every chronic disease, including obesity.

If you are one of the few meeting the guideline congratulations, keep up the great work. If you are among the 85% that are not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR. Start today.

For great recipes, check out the member’s only section of our website.

For more information about the many benefits of fruits and vegetable and other tasty recipes go to www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov and www.aicr.org (American Institute for Cancer Reseach.)

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

by Cheney Maddox

December 14

11:53 am

No Comments

What’s Your New Year’s Resolution?

Lose weight, eat healtheir, stress less…do those make the top of your list?

If so, we have just the thing for you at Hilton Head Health! In the beginning of 2010, we have a workshop focusing on each of the above resolutions. Want to learn more?

Perfect Fit
January 14th – 16th, 2010
Get a jumpstart for your fitness routine during this exercise-intensive, three-day experience. Designed for individuals of all fitness levels, you’ll learn how to get the most out of your active lifestyle through inspiring fitness activities as well as ‘boot camp’-style workouts. Embrace the Island’s natural serenity through activities such as kayaking, biking, hiking and more, and advance at your own level to develop a mental determination, as well as an exercise plan that you can take home with you. Facilitated by H3 Fitness Director, Adam Martin and Fitness Specialist, Amber Shadwick.

Healthy Transitions: Overcoming Emotional Eating
February 4th – 6th, 2010
This three-day workshop, led by H3 Wellness Counselor Johanna Smith-Ellis, will give you the tools and support needed to regain control of your eating. You will have the opportunity to explore the many ways your emotions and everyday stressors can affect your relationship with food and learn a variety of mindful techniques that are key to overcoming these self-sabotaging eating patterns. (Limited to 10 participants.)

Cooking Healthy: Recipe for Success with Chef Marvis Hinson
February 25th – 27th, 2010
Learn how to prepare healthy cuisine at its finest during H3′s popular cooking workshop. This fun three-day event is filled with interactive cooking demonstrations, instructional sessions and hands-on experience in our special demonstration kitchen. Create brand-new dishes, get tips on how to make your favorite recipes healthier and much more.Learn how to prepare healthy cuisine at its finest during H3′s popular cooking workshop. This fun three-day event is filled with interactive cooking demonstrations, instructional sessions and hands-on experience in our special demonstration kitchen. Create brand-new dishes, get tips on how to make your favorite recipes healthier and much more.

Don’t wait until 2010 – get started today!

This entry is filed under Fitness, Nutrition, SELF.

by Cheney Maddox

December 10

4:15 pm

2 Comments

WE’RE BECOMING SLUGS!! How do we make this stuff fun?

By Adam Martin, H3 Fitness Director

Check out this summary from the January 2008 publication from the ACSM.

Presentation12 300x225 WE’RE BECOMING SLUGS!! How do we make this stuff fun?

In this study they used the newest technology to hit the fitness arena, an accelerometer. An accelerometer is the device used in your iPhone to manipulate the orientation of the screen when you turn it from horizontal to vertical in your hand. It can be found in fitness devices like the body bugg or fitbit. It’s beginning to trump the traditional pedometer in accuracy.

Can you believe that 1 in 40 adults over 60 is moving for a cumulative 30 minutes per day 5 days per week?! Yikes! What’s the problem here? By Tradition, exercise isn’t thought of as fun. I mean, who actually enjoys the sound of their labored breathing? However, a new revolution is developing. Check out this video…

It appears the “Fun Theory” is one we must begin to adopt. Therefore, here’s a short list of activities you may prefer over the treadmill. (PS we offer them all at H3)

- Dancing (Belly, Hip Hop and Latin)

- Drums ALIVE

- Outdoor Activities (Hiking, Biking, Swimming, Kayaking, Snow-Skiing)

- Court or Team Sports

- Cardio-Boxing

- Wii Fit

- Tai Chi

Can you think of any others?

This entry is filed under Fitness.

by Cheney Maddox

December 7

4:22 pm

No Comments

Exercise YOUR Motivation

By: Jeff, H3 Program Intern

Note: This is Jeff’s last week here as a Program intern at H3. We will miss him greatly — and so will the readers of H3 Daily.com! All of us here at H3 would like to say THANK YOU for a job well done! Make sure to leave Jeff a note before he heads back to the ‘real world’.

There is no single universal plan for sticking to exercise or for that matter, a weight-loss program. In my experience, the best method to get us out of the reclining chair and psyche ourselves up for a challenging workout comes from within. No one can make us tread it out each day or even draw us into a beach boot-camp, there has to be something more individually internal to a successful exercise plan. The support of a friend or a trainer may in the end be your motivation, however only YOU can decide.

Here’s the key: find what personally motivates YOU, and cling onto it. For some of us, all it takes to start our engines is the thrill of that next road race or an inspiring pump up jam. For others it gets deeper, maybe we exercise because we want to be around for our loved ones, and at the end of the day set an example for others to live by.

We have to remember that health affects every single part of our lives and if we want to get the most out of our one chance, we must tailor our lifestyles in a healthy direction. There will always be reasons (or excuses) why we don’t want to exercise, but let’s put it into perspective: are there FAR more reasons to be exercising? Without a doubt. Besides the many health benefits: reduced blood pressures, stronger bones, reduced depression or controlling of a healthy body weight – the reason become far more substantial to the individual.

For that reason, it seems to me that the more YOU motivation someone has the healthier they’ll be, and the easier it is to maintain an exercise program. With that said, here are a few thoughts that are sure to spark a little YOU motivation in everyone.

1. The feelings you get after a solid workout. After going for a long run or completing a vigorous workout it’s truly a signature exercise “HIGH.” You’ll begin asking yourself: “Man, if I feel this good now, what about after my next workout?”

2. Success stories. Reading or hearing about others success can be extremely motivational. Such as someone who lossed one hundred pounds or what about the guy who ran fifty marathons in fifty days!

3. You time. Exercise is a time to start the day off on the right foot or a good time to reflect. Your doing something good for yourself, be proud of that.

4. Reaching the goal. Setting a goal weight or goal measurements may be your thing, or walking/running a certain amount of miles per week. Whatever the goal is make it realistic and personal.

5. Family and friends. Maybe YOU motivation is being able to play with our kids, or to be around for our grand children. The thought of having not only more time, yet QUALITY time can be enough drive for any exercise plan.

6. Fun. It’s fun to wake up in the morning and go running! Well for me and others it may be, yet create an exercise program that’s going to be fun for YOU. Whether it’s playing tennis, lifting weights or gardening as long as you’re moving.

7. Purchasing new clothes. Hey, who doesn’t love a new saweet pair of jeans? Simply the thought of switching sizes could be what inspires YOU, if it does go for it.

8. Entering a 5k race or longer. As I’ve mentioned before, registering for a future race and paying in advance may be just what keeps you training.

9. A before picture. Looking back on from where you’ve come and where you are going can be motivation enough.

10. Logging In. I believe writing down workouts and exercise accomplishments for the day is extremely important. Literally visualizing what you’ve done will help you stay on track, definitely try it!

That’s only a few ways to get and stay motivated. Another possibility is to print out a few motivational quotes and live by them, literally! Put them on your desktop or the refrigerator if that works for YOU. Remember it’s all about exercising YOU motivation so explore the options and once you find it hang on tight. All and all, here’s one quote for you to take:

“No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change.”

~Bill Phillips~

This entry is filed under Fitness, SELF.

by Cheney Maddox

December 1

1:46 pm

4 Comments

Let’s Get CEREAL about Our Breakfast Choice

By: Jeff, H3 Program Intern

Ladies and Gentleman, today it’s time to get cereal (a.k.a. serious) about our breakfast cereal choices. The fact of the matter is: who doesn’t enjoy a tasty bowl of cereal? For some of us (including myself), we would be perfectly and completely satisfied having a bowl for every meal. The good news for us is that several cereals are extremely tasty and truly can provide that whole-grain nutrition to start our days off on the right foot.

However, what’s ridiculous about cereal is that there are so many dang choices; how do we even begin to sort thru the flashy grocery store aisle? Cookie crisp, Kashi GoLean, Raisin Bran, Cheerios, where to begin?

First of all, let’s get acquainted with the Hilton Head Health criteria for selecting a nutritious breakfast bowl. Then I’ll follow up with five solid choices that are sure to not only be slam-packed with whole-grains, but trigger your taste buds.

H3 Breakfast Cereal Criteria:

1. First ingredient must be a whole-grain

2. Must have 3 grams of fiber per 100 calories

3. Calories from sugar have to be 25% or less (excluding dried fruit)

4. Total Fat must be 2 grams or less

5. Ought to be tasty: make it a cereal you’ll look forward to every morning!

Five Solid Choices

1. Fiber One – Honey Clusters:

With the first three ingredients being whole grain wheat, corn bran, and wheat bran, how can you lose? Crammed at full capacity with 13 grams of fiber amounting to 51% of your daily value leaves you stuffed for the entire morning. Only 6 grams of sugar this cereal is secretly sweet and scrumptious.

2. Kashi – Whole Wheat Biscuits

Fairly new to the Kashi family these biscuits are just tasty enough to amuse anyone. Super low in fat, sodium free, including a whole day’s worth of whole-grains. A nice complement to the GoLean Crunch comes in three different varieties: Autumn wheat, Harvest Cinnamon, and my person favorite Island Vanilla.

3. Post – Original Shredded Wheat

For you wheat lovers this is the cereal for you. Highly nutritious, less than a gram of fat and practically no sugar, this is one of the healthiest choices around. For a complete breakfast experience, try adding some fresh fruit and Truvia for the perfect sweetness.

4. General Mills – Total Raisin Bran

A better alternative to regular Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, first two ingredients include: whole-grain wheat and raisins. Higher in sugar, but still meets the criteria based off the dried fruit aspect. Less than a gram of fat per serving and very flavorsome, Total definitely becomes another solid choice for anyone’s morning meal.

5. Kashi – Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oats

As you can tell I’m a big fan of Kashi, so many varieties all with their nutritional strengths. These Honey Toasted Oats are a crunchy step up from the everyday original cheerios. First three ingredients include whole oat flour, oat bran and evaporated cane juice along with 4 grams of fiber per 100 calories.

So there are just a few solid choices, but there’s many more along the aisle. As one last recommendation, try to steer clear of the lucky charms and cocoa puffs your cereal heavyweights are out there! Now just add some skim milk and you’ll final get CEREAL about your breakfast choice.

If you’re interested in a few more healthy options check out this article written by WebMD reference: Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/choosing-healthy-breakfast-cereal

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

by Cheney Maddox

November 30

4:16 pm

No Comments

Keeping it in Portion Perspective

By Jeff, H3 Program Intern

When we finally come to that final motivation to embark on lasting lifestyle changes, many of us get into that mindset: “This is it, go big or go home this time.” What a fitting phrase right? However, this is where it gets a little shady because when it comes to nutrition we’ve go to stop applying that same principle. In this respect, bigger is never better and our environment is certainly not helping any.

Why is it, when we are out and about, in an airport or at a restaurant, the portion sizes become outrageously enormous? Mammoth muffins, bountiful bagels, plethora pizza slices – it’s unreal on how today’s portion sizes stack up to twenty year’s ago. Let’s put the past in perspective:

	20 Years Ago	Calories	Today	Calories
Bagel	3” inches	140	6” inches	350
Muffin	1.5 oz.	210	4 oz.	500
Pizza	2 slices	500	2 large slices	850

Obviously, we all just finished up a great portion controlled Thanksgiving, yet this is still an ideal time to update our perspective. With the holiday season almost in full-gear, there’s definitely going to be plenty more sweets on the horizon. It may not be the pumpkin pies this time, but various treats will be readily available and it’s not always easy to measure the exact portion size. Going along with our portion control theme, here are a few visualization techniques for understanding correct portions specific to several common holiday goodies.

- One square brownie should equal about one package of dental floss

- One slice of cake should equal a deck of cards

- One cinnamon roll should equal the size of a hockey puck

- One ounce of holiday candies should easily fit into the palm of your hand

- One cup of cocoa equals eight ounces

- One cookie should equal roughly two poker chips

- One ½ cup ice cream should equal the size of a light bulb

Nobody wants to spend the holiday’s completely zoning out every treat, therefore by understanding what constitutes “a portion” we can help control the weight. In our H3 portion control class many guest learn the fundamental tips for managing portions. Today, I’ll just give you the top three and hope that the past comparisons and dessert portion visualizations guide you the rest of the way!

Top Tip #1: Re-engineer your home

- “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”

- Buy snacks in single serve

- Keep variety to a minimum

Top Tip #2: Recognize the difference between a portion and a serving

- Read all the labels

- Refer to the H3 food pyramid

Top Tip #3 Eat more slowly and mindfully

- Food will be coming at you left and right so take it easy

- 20 minute rule: Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed

This entry is filed under Nutrition.

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