Help Halloween Candy Invades My House

When Halloween comes around there is usually candy close by.

• A co-worker brings it in to work to get it out of their house!
• You have to buy enough for all the trick or treaters coming around.
• Your children bring home bags of candy from when they go out trick or treating.

Some where, some how candy is a plenty. If you are making an effort to cut back on sweets, if you have a tendency to binge on that gooey chocolate candy, if you have trouble resiting a piece here and there and everywhere, you are not alone.

So what can you do...make some goals for yourself.

1. Allow yourself and allotted amount without remorse. Preset the amount and stick to it!
2. Do the same for your children...the fun is in the gathering it doesn't have to be in the consuming!
3. Donate the remaining candy to a charity or children's shelter they probably don't have as much as you and your kids.
4. Plan ahead and buy candy you don't like! Doesn't account for what your kids bring home but go back to number 1 for that problem.

The important thing to remember is that Halloween is only one day and if you can get through that with goals and perseverance you only have Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, the New Year, Valentines Day...to go!

New Top 10 for Longevity

I found this article in Fitness Magazine last month and had to share the new top 10 for longevity.

1. Snack on Watermelon - watermelon pack more cancer and heart disease fighting lycopene that tomatoes. Who knew!
2. Stalk Up on Asparagus - packing vitamin A and C, antioxidants, folate (a B vitamin) and glutathione (an amino acid).
3. A Daily Glass - Red Wine is best but all types of alcohol appear to have longevity benefits.
4. Be a Part Time Vegetarian - load up on fruits and vegetable it can be a recipe for long life.
5. Stay Slim - Most men and women that reach the age of 100 generally stay slim. Excess pounds lead to a slew of life threatening conditions.
6. Eat like an Okinawan - this is an area in Japan that has the people with the longest life spans on earth. They eat sweet potatoes and tofu as a staple of their diet.
7. Rethink Your Rice - There is an outer coating on brown rice that is removed to make white rice (something I did not know). Brown rice contains a wealth of age fighting micro- nutrients.
8. Pick Mushrooms - Mushrooms stimulated the immune system enough to ward off infections an tumors in preliminary animal studies. I am adding more to my soups and salads!
9. Cook at Home - People who live to 100 and beyond eat at home more than in restaurants throughout their lives and often enjoy cooking. Food cooked in a restaurant tends to be higher in fat and sugar and we often order things we would not eat at home.
10. Put the Brakes on Yo-Yo Dieting - Frequent fluctuations are hard on your heart and can raise your blood pressure. My personal advice pick a weight that you are comfortable in your own skin, head for it, make it achievable and stay there. (You may not be a 6!)

To read the full article for yourself go to:

http://fitnessmagazine.com/recpies/healthy-eating/superfoods/what-to-eat-to-live-longer

Don't Call It Exercise

Try thinking about exercise as an activity, something to do. Make it a priority to be more active throughout your day rather than having a pre-set exercise time and place.

Dance while you clean or straighten up your house. Walk farther in the parking lot when getting to work. Take a stroll around the office on your break. Listen to a book on tape or a DVD that you like when you take a walk.

Make it fun and active rather than exercise. Your will be moving and burning calories and not even feel it.

Are You Pregnant?

Did you ever ask anyone that question or have you been asked that question when you were NOT Pregnant?

Weight gain or loss can be a very personal experience. Sometimes it is directly related to pregnancy. Other times it can be illness, stress or dieting.

Watching your words when talking to people after noticing a significant weight gain or loss is extremely important. If someone has been ill making a comment about how great they look from losing weight may not be what they want to hear. Perhaps their change in weight was not their intentional. Just like asking someone if they are pregnant and finding out they are not, how embarrassing is that.

Try to keep your comments neutral... wow you look refreshed. Or if you do know someone has been working to make changes, say you look tone and fit.

Better still keep your comments to yourself and let the conversation flow in a happy positive way. Keep body comments out it.

Stand Up Straight

I was at a family reunion a few weeks ago and we all lined for a picture. As we were getting ready I noticed how we were standing, shoulders forward not actually slumping but not straight either.

It made me think about my own posture. Do I stand up with my shoulders back? How does it feel when I do?

The answer to this was simple, when I stood straight put my shoulders back I felt better and looked better. It was an amazing transformation. The key is to do it all the time.

Try it and see for yourself!