Lose Weight Without Compromising Your Health

Losing weight and staying in shape requires dedication and discipline. But, it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice your health by skipping meals and eating as little as possible just so you can hit your weight goal. Believe me, I’ve tried eating just two times a day, eating only bread, and I’ve even tried that so-called water therapy where you consume nothing but water for 3 to 5 days. I did hit my mark, but I was so malnourished I felt weak for most of the day.

Here’s how you can effectively lose weight and stay fit without putting your body at risk of malnourishment.

• Take up a hobby that requires you to move and stay active. Engaging in physical activity on a regular basis can help you stay in shape. Hobbies like biking, jogging, trekking, rock climbing, or even just walking a few kilometers a day will help you burn calories, and tone your muscles in the process.

• Remember to take your vitamins, minerals, and calcium supplements. Even if you are sticking to a healthy diet, you still need to meet your body’s vitamin and mineral requirements. This is why skipping meals or eating nothing but veggies is never a good idea, even though veggies are good for the health, they can’t provide everything our body needs.

• Patience and a good exercise regimen can go a long way. Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight. If you lose a significant number of pounds overnight, you might want to go see your doctor. Finding an exercise routine that works for you, preferably one that you enjoy; is important.

If you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll be looking forward to doing it every single day. This is why the first point, find a hobby that keeps you physically active, is a great way to start your weight loss adventure. And finally, be patient. You’ll be hitting that mark soon enough.

Mental Wellness – Preventing Memory Loss Through Food

At my pristine age of 36, I sometimes misplace things, forget names and appointments. I used to tell myself that it’s the stress of the job. Besides, that’s what personal assistants are for, right? But, watching a documentary on TV about dementia and Alzheimer’s, and how such diseases affect a huge number of the population, got me thinking and worried, to be honest, about my own forgetfulness.

Although I’m still too young to develop Alzheimer’s disease, I wouldn’t want it ever. For most of us, our memories and experiences are all we have left in our twilight years. And remembering your grandchildren’s names and birthdays at age of 90 is a huge accomplishment, which I personally would want for myself.

So What Causes Memory Loss?

Minor lapses in memory such as forgetting names or misplacing objects are a common occurrence as an individual advances in age. This is because some elements of the cognitive network of the brain begin to falter as a person reaches a certain age. Loss of memory among seniors is to be expected and is relatively benign. We all experience it as we grow older. It’s as common as the wrinkles on our face, the overgrown hair in our ear canals, the receding hairline, and the gray hair that we so desperately try to hide.

More serious memory loss, however, is a common symptom of dementia. And the most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This type of memory loss is most often attributed to genetic factors. Certain viruses, cardiovascular diseases, and head injuries may also contribute to profound memory loss and dementia.

Battling Memory Loss with Food

Preventing or minimizing the risk of you getting dementia at a later age requires a lot of exercise, both physical and mental, and a sound diet. Taking care of your brain by carefully considering what you eat and put inside your body is instrumental in promoting longevity and keeping your memory sharp. Nutrients that have profound effects to sustaining memory include B vitamins and complex carbohydrates. These help ensure sufficient quantities of neurotransmitters and promote healthy nerve transmission, which in turn help preserve memory and keep your brain active and sharp.

Food like potatoes and barley are rich source of complex carbohydrates. And to make sure that food and these complex carbohydrates get converted into brain fuel efficiently, adequate intake of B vitamins are also needed. Epidemiological research suggests that low levels of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid are closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition to complex carbohydrates and B vitamins, it is also believed that the blood-nourishing mineral iron plays a significant role in enhancing neurotransmitter activity. Some studies have shown that low levels of iron in an individual have negative effects on memory function. Fish, lean meats, and poultry are rich sources of iron.

Moreover, blueberries are also believed to have positive effects on memory function, specifically in the improvement of the cognitive functions of the brain. So, in addition to your daily exercise routines, make sure that you include your brain in your workout and eat the right kind of food to ensure good mental health and prevent memory loss.

Easy Morning Exercises to Help Your Feel Great All Day

In my efforts to stay fit and healthy, I have come across a few simple stretches and exercises that you can do every morning to help you feel great the rest of the day. Research has shown that doing some of these basic exercises will help keep you in a better mood, especially if you’re like me, cooped up in an office all day dealing with administrative tasks that are not only mentally stressful but emotionally draining as well.

Before you engage in heavy exercises, it’s always a good idea to do some stretching first in order to loosen up those muscles. Here are a few stretches that I like to do before performing any exercises:

Lunges

This is perhaps one of the most common forms of leg muscle stretching out there. It’s so common because, well, it’s effective and easy to execute. All you have to do is stand with your feet shoulder width apart, place your hand on your hips, and start stretching your leg muscles by taking a giant step forward with your right leg. Bend the forwarded leg a little, while the other leg goes down and almost touches the floor as if you were about to kneel. Just make sure that your knees do not go too far forward to avoid injuries. I usually do 12 reps for each leg, but you can do eight or more if you want.

The Cat Camel Stretch

Cat camel stretches are a common element in yoga. I’ve learned this particular warm-up exercise from my wife who does yoga regularly. This yoga stretch, and other stretching exercises for that matter, is quite useful for muscle toning, flexibility, strengthening, and preventing injuries. The cat camel stretch in particular, is great for spinal flexibility and strengthening.

This is also very simple to do: kneel on the floor, on all fours. Inhale and then round your back like a camel’s. You will know you’re doing it right if your head is close to your pelvis. Then as you slowly exhale, lift your head and arch your back. Do five reps for maximum effect.

The Balancing Table Pose

This is another warm-up and stretching exercise that I learned from watching my wife do her yoga routine for years. The balancing table is a classic yoga pose that mostly benefits the spine, although it can also be great for improving balance, memory, and focus.

Put your hands and knees on the floor (as if forming a table). Inhale and as you exhale, slowly lift your right leg while raising your right arm. Both should be parallel to the floor. Let it stay for a few seconds and then bring down your arm and leg as you inhale. Do the same thing for your left leg and right arm. I do around 10 repetitions of this (for both sides).

Jumping Jacks

This is another classic warm-up exercise that promotes cardiovascular health, strength, and muscle toning, especially in the calves and deltoids.

A minute of jumping jacks is enough to jumpstart your energy.

Leg Squats

After doing a few stretching exercises, now you can start doing slightly heavier workouts like the leg squat. This particular exercise doesn’t just strengthen your leg muscles, but also your hips and knees.

Position your feet apart, make sure they’re a little far from your hips. Stretch out your arms and slowly sit down on the air. Do so until you reach a 90° angle. Stay in this position for a few seconds and then go back to your starting position. Two sets of 10 repetitions will be beneficial for you.

Push-Ups

Push-up exercises are great for building up your shoulder and upper body muscles, particularly your chest and back ones. If you do this every day, it will also help build up your upper body strength. Push-ups are also great for muscle toning, if you don’t like to use gym equipment.  

Start with 10 push-ups and gradually increase the number as you feel yourself becoming stronger.

Bicycle Crunches

This is my personal favorite, because it helps get rid of the excess fat in my tummy. This type of exercise is a variation of the basic crunches where only the abs gets a workout. Bicycle crunches involve more muscle groups, which is great if you only have a few minutes to exercise.

Lie on your back. Position your hands at the back of your head for support. Make sure your fingers are intertwined and your palms are facing and resting on the back of your head. Raise your head a little as you lift your legs. Move your legs as if you were pedaling a bike, and as you do so, turn your head sideways so that your elbow almost touches your bended knee (the other leg is stretched). Do this 10 times at first and increase as you gradually build strength.

Morning exercise is a great way to start your day. In addition to being a great mood booster, I’ve also noticed that I eat better and feel stronger and happier when I do morning exercises. Even a short walk or run can do wonders to your health, both physically and mentally.

Juicing Greens – A Healthier Way to Promote Vitality and Wellness

As a Filipino, I grew up in a household where if you didn’t eat your vegetables, you face the consequences. Thanks to my dad and his stern warnings and punishments, I learned to eat my veggies at a very young age. I learned to appreciate the taste, especially with my mom’s cooking, before I even realized the potential health benefits these green leafy vegetables have to offer.

Now, I am a firm believer of vegetables as a significant source of not just nutrients, but also of vitality and wellness. Although cooked veggies are great, especially with my mom’s family recipes, I have discovered the art and science of juicing. Through vegetable juicing, your body can absorb additional nutrients that are otherwise killed off or diminished in the cooking process. I believe that juicing may be one of the main catalysts to good health since it is a vital source of raw food, which we all know is chock-full of phytonutrients and chlorophyll.

To achieve maximum vitality, our bodies need raw food. Staying healthy and invigorated means eating raw foods every day, just like the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Fruits are a great source of nutrients, but they don’t necessarily have everything our body needs. By incorporating raw veggies and juicing them, we essentially make sure that our bodies receive the maximum daily allowance of phytonutrients and other essential vitamins and minerals fruits and veggies have to offer.

How to Get Started

If you are new to juicing vegetables, it’s important to start out slow. An ounce or two a day should be enough for now, at least until you get used to the taste and the idea of vegetable juicing. Later on, when you’re good and ready, you can up your daily consumption to 12 or 16 ounces. Now, I’m up to 32 ounces per session. And I must say, I’ve never felt any better or healthier. Even my kids are starting to love it.

The kinds of vegetables that you should start with are those that you enjoy eating. The juice equivalent of those types of veggies should go well with your taste buds and not make you gag or feel nauseous. When it comes to juicing, it is important to listen to what your body is telling you. Your stomach should feel great once you start juicing. But, if you feel that something’s off, if your gut is growling and making some awful noises, then you probably juiced something that you shouldn’t be eating in the first place.

Drink Everything, No Leftovers

Vegetable juice is one of the most perishable foods there is. It’s not a good idea to save leftovers for later consumption, since the nutritional content of the juice will decline quite quickly. This is why it’s important to juice only what you can consume in a single session. Of course, it is possible to store vegetable juice for up to 24 hours with minimal nutritional decline, but you have to be extra careful. You can do it by placing the juice in a clean glass jar with an airtight lid. You fill up the jar all the way up the brim, leaving very little air space. Air contains oxygen, and oxygen will oxidize and diminish the juice’s nutritional value.

Adopting juicing into your daily regimen will take some getting used to. But, if you’re really determined to turn your life into a better one, everything will work out well. Just take everything one day at a time. Follow the tips I laid out and you’ll soon be on your way to juicing for life!

Four Simple Life Changes That Greatly Improve Mental Wellness

As a husband, father, and entrepreneur in his prime, I am very particular about my health. I want to stay healthy and live long enough to be able to see my kids graduate from college and become professionals. I want keep myself fit and strong to fulfill my wife’s needs. And I want to remain mentally capable to face the everyday challenges I come across at work, be it managing employees or dealing with clients and finding new leads for the company.

While trying to find new and more effective ways to keep myself physically and mentally fit, I have come to realize that in order to improve and maintain my physical and mental wellness, there are actually four simple life changes that I need to consider. These four basic changes, once you apply them to your lifestyle, can help improve your overall wellness, and not just the physical and mental aspects.

Four Basic Life Improvements That Enriches Your Physical and Mental Wellness

1. Make Changes to Improve Your Diet

Our bodies are susceptible to degradation, disease, and malnutrition, whether we like it or not. What we put inside our bodies directly impacts our health and wellness. With that said, you should consider upgrading your diet to healthier foods. You can do this by:

• Cutting down on fatty meats, fried foods, sweets, excessive carbohydrates, and packaged goods filled with preservatives.
• Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, loaded with vitamins and minerals to keep your body in good shape and functioning well.
• Incorporating whole grains and lean meats into your diet to keep you looking good and feeling better.

By taking the time to manage your diet and preparing a well-balanced meal, you are essentially investing time into your future. The healthier you are, the more time you will have to enjoy what life has in store for you. 

 

2. Make Changes to Improve Your Physical Fitness

Believe it or not, exercise does not only affect the physical aspect of your body. It also helps improve your mental health by decreasing stress and alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms. Regular exercise helps increase blood calcium, which then stimulates the neurons in your brain that’s responsible for releasing dopamine. A neurotransmitter, dopamine is believed to play a distinct role in fighting stress and depression. It is naturally produced by the brain in response to activities that are pleasurable to most us, like food and sex.

3. Make Changes to Maintain Good Hygiene

Taking good care of yourself physically can leave you feeling more comfortable, confident, and good. Even getting a simple haircut or a manicure can make you feel better about yourself, especially when you’re feeling a bit down. And when you put care and invest in how you look, people will notice and give complements, which again can make you feel better about yourself. So, don’t underestimate the power of good hygiene. I’m very particular about this, and I try to encourage my children, young as they are, to value proper hygiene the same way that I do.

4. Make Changes to Help Yourself Focus on Achievable Goals

Most of us have a bucket list, a list of the things we would like to do before we “kick the bucket,” so to speak. Checking a few items on this list can be very rewarding. But, you don’t need a bucket list to achieve a few small goals. You can still feel great about yourself by simply creating a list of achievable goals that don’t necessarily include your bucket list. Bucket lists are for lifetime goals. What I’m talking about are simple things like paying the bills on time, taking the wife out on a romantic dinner at least once or twice a month, or spending more time with the kids. I travel a lot; but I always try to make time for my wife and children whenever I am at home. Quality time is what matters most to me.

These very simple goals may not be that much, but once you achieve them, they can still be rewarding and make you feel great about yourself. And whether you believe it or not, this simple act can contribute to the betterment of your mental wellness. It did just that to me, so I’m sure you’ll receive your reward, too!

The Different Aspects of Wellness and How They Affect our Way of Life

Improving one’s way of life in the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment has always been the goal of most people, even if they don’t know it. This is why we try our best to land a decent paying job and strive for success in whatever endeavors we face in our day-to-day lives; whether it’s about money, love, or spirituality.

Now, I am not a self-help guru nor am I claiming to be an expert on the social sciences. I don’t give lectures on how people should live their lives nor do I presume to know the secret to happiness and success. I am merely someone who has been in many places – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – someone who has experienced the highs and lows of life, and has learned a thing or two about finding success and happiness with what you have.

 It is said that the first step towards true happiness is self-acceptance. You must first be comfortable in your own skin, know your limitations, and embrace your capabilities before you can begin chasing your goals and aspirations. On the other hand, people also say that you have to try hard to better yourself in every aspect—mentally, spiritually, and physically. This is what wellness is all about, the struggle to make yourself better as you live life to the fullest.

But wellness is much more than just the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects. Through the years, I have learned that there are several other dimensions of wellness in addition to the three most common. And these “other dimensions” are the following:

Social Wellness is the ability of a person to interact or connect with the people around him/her. The efforts that we make in order to maintain positive and healthy relationships with our family members, friends, and the people we work with can be a significant factor to our social well-being. Staying connected with the community and participating in various activities also contribute to our social wellness. Our social well-being is developed through establishing a strong and supportive social network comprised of meaningful relationships with the people in our lives.

Environmental Wellness is an individual’s ability to recognize his responsibility toward the environment he lives in. Our ability to promote positive solutions to improve the environment around us—be it our homes, neighborhoods, cities, or the planet—has a significant impact to our environmental well-being. Our awareness of the current state of the environment and the efforts we take to minimize the effects of our everyday habits says a lot about who we are as a society. And our ability to support measures that impact our way of life and the health of the environment in a positive light also contributes to our environmental wellness.

Occupational Wellness is a person’s ability to recognize personal satisfaction and fulfillment in whatever work he does. Your appreciation and love for your chosen career, as well as your ability to maintain a healthy balance between your professional and personal life contributes to your occupational well-being. It’s no secret that people who are happy with their jobs are more productive and make significant positive impact on the organizations they are working in. And your ability to make good money doing what you love certainly makes a huge difference on your well-being.

Financial Wellness is one’s ability to be prudent when it comes to spending. Living within your means is a major contributor to your financial well-being. It allows you to be prepared for any financial emergencies.

A healthy balance of these four elements will greatly contribute to your quest for happiness, fulfillment, overall wellness, and a good life.