Wellness for Life

Dorothy’s Top Ten Ways to Improve Personal Wellness

for Longevity and Quality of Life

Dorothy H. Wood, Ph.D.

10. Pay a Visit to the Doctor

Make sure you start off with a clean slate; have a physician give you the

green light to begin a wellness program

I’m sure they’ll be delighted!

9. Use Good Judgement (!)

Do you always wear your seatbelt?

Do you smoke?

Do you drink more than 2 alcoholic drinks / day?

Do you multitask while driving?

Do you get enough sleep?

Do you wear sunscreen?

8. Shop the Periphery

Have you ever noticed what’s around the outside of the grocery store?

If you remember to shop the periphery instead of the aisles, you’ll load your cart with vegetables, fruits, good breads, fish, high quality meats and dairy

Remember, the less packaging, the better the product

Empty calories vs. good nutrition

Losing weight is simply a matter of consuming less energy

(in the form of food)

than you expend (in the form of physical activity)

You could do that by eating five jelly biscuits a day but would it be healthy?

Definitely not!

7. Sort Out the Carbohydrates

What’s with all this Atkins and South Beach business?

Do carbohydrates really make a difference?

Absolutely!

Controlling blood sugar is not just for diabetics

Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs

Fruits

Grains

Vegetables

High fructose corn syrup

Refined sugar

Refined flour

Starchy vegetables

6. Read Labels

When eating prepared foods – become an avid label reader

It will take you longer to grocery shop at first

Your body will thank you later

Food labels – are they really useful?

Be mindful of the portion size

Calories vs calories from fat

The ‘bad guys’

The more of these the better

Look for high fiber

The greater the gap between ‘Total Carbohydrate’ and ‘Sugars’ the better

5. Lift Something

Muscle = Youth

It is NEVER too late to begin a weight lifting regime

This can range anywhere from self-resistance exercises at home to joining a gym and engaging a personal trainer

Exercises may include:

• Toning exercises without weights

• Compound exercises (push-ups / sit-ups)

• Pilates

• Modified weight exercises

• Weight room

4. Control Those Portions

One of the greatest downfalls of the American diet is the lack of portion

control

If an overweight individual cut every meal in half, they would still eat enough

calories to sustain their bodies

Vegetables and/or Fruits

Protein

Carbohydrate

Your plate should look like this……. High quality for mental alertness (more at lunchtime – less at night)

Low on the glycemic index to avoid ‘crash and burn’

Fresh or lightly sauteed in olive oil – you can’t get enough!

3. Start Smart

5 easy ways to cut high, empty calories and bad fats from your diet

1. Absolutely no regular soda (drink water)

2. Cut out mayonnaise

3. Olive oil and vinegar on salads (no bottled dressing)

4. Reduce amount of cheese consumed* (not cottage)

* Not empty calories, but very high in animal fat

5. Cut out alcoholic beverages (1 glass of red wine OK)

2. Become a Fat Connoisseur

Despite a bad rap, fats are essential to our diet

however

Not all fats are created equal

Good Fats vs Bad Fats

Naturally occurring fats:

Nuts

Olive oil

Avocados

Fish oils

Butter

Partially hydrogenated fats

Margarine

Fried foods

Refined oils

Most polyunsaturated fats

In a healthy nutritional program, approximately 30% of total calories can come from fats: 10% as saturated fat

Saturated fats – found in meat and dairy • Increase total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels • Cause heart disease

Monounsaturated fats – found in olive and peanut oils, nuts/nut butter • Do not raise cholesterol • Keeps HDL (good) cholesterol raised

Polyunsaturated fats • Omega-3 found in fatty fish, walnuts, canola oil • Protect against heart attack • Omega-6 found in corn oil, soybean oil• Promote inflammation

limit intake of these

Eat mainly these

good

bad

Then there are those you want to avoid altogether…

Hydrogenated / Partially Hydrogenated Fats (Trans Fats)

These are man made fats and should be avoided as much as possible

They are polyunsaturated (liquid) fats that have been made solid at room temperature by adding hydrogen

It loses the good traits of a polyunsaturated fat and takes on the bad qualities of a saturated fat

Not listed on the food label on many food yet – you need to check the ingredients

Reprinted with permission: S. Joseph esq.; www.bantransfats.com

And the #1 way to promote

wellness in your life is......

1. Move, Move, Move!

Get that blood flowing a little faster

This should be something that you enjoy, not a form of torture!

There are many ways to improve cardiovascular health; incorporate a variety to stimulate your heart

3 Main Methods:

Exercising to Lose Weight:

Exercise at a low intensity for long periods (1 hour +)

Exercising to Improve Cardiovascular Endurance:

Higher intensity (sweating and 60-80% maximal HR)

Exercising to Promote a Healthy Heart:

Exercise 5 days a week for ~ 20 – 30 min at moderate intensity

Aerobic (cardiovascular) exercises include:

Walking / hiking

Bike riding

Running / jogging

Golf

Playing competitive sports

Ice skating / rollerblading

Skiing

Dancing

Playing with children!

You should NOT eat less than your body requires to operate

IMPORTANT

Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and don’t eat fewer calories than that

Eat the right amount, then exercise off calories for a net loss overall

I like to call it my ‘Burn off your Breakfast’ program

Helpful hints to make your program work for you

Make exercising fun – workout with your partner or a friend, and do something you enjoy

Beware of ‘low fat’ or ‘fat free’ foods – they’re often loaded with sugar

Beware of ‘low carb’ foods – they’re often loaded with fat!

Water, water, water

Keep a large bag of almonds with you – they’re the world’s best snack food

Eat breakfast always and NEVER skip meals

My Favorite Book