HEALTHY LIVING

Meditation is a practice of training your mind over time, developing mindfulness and deepening your awareness of the present moment with an attitude of kindness.

By turning your attention to a single point of reference, which involves focusing on the breath, on bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase known as a mantra, helps to turn your attention away from distracting thoughts, and instead, focus on the present moment. 

Mindfulness is:

• the art of bringing a direct, non-judging awareness to your experience, in the present moment
• a skillful means to work with life’s challenges
• a path to cultivating peace, joy and freedom from suffering

Numerous scientific studies show that meditation generates better health, improved productivity and more happiness.

To Practice Mindfulness Meditation:

1) Find a place where you won’t be disturbed.

2) Sit in a comfortable position and set a timer.

3) Gently close your eyes. 

4) Ask yourself what you are currently experiencing, and observe your feelings, sensations, and thoughts.

5) Shift your attention to your body and spend a moment or two zooming in on the sensations in places that touch the chair or floor.

6) Shift attention to your belly and observe your sensations. Focus on how it extends and falls with every breath. Observe your breathing some more without changing it. 

7) At some moment, your mind will naturally wander away.

8) When you realize that your mind is no longer in the present, recognize it as a moment of awareness and shift your attention back to your breathing.

9) Now focus on your whole body, observing your posture and face. 

10) When you are ready — or when the timer reminds you — open your eyes.

* Remember, consistency is key.

The health of Americans is steadily declining despite the amount of money spent on health care, technology, and prevention efforts. Diabetes and obesity rates continue to sky-rocket among adults and children.

Unless we take responsibility for our own health and nutrition, the pattern will continue. A health coach will listen to you and help guide you in making better choices that will improve your overall health.

Here are the top 10 reasons you need a health coach now: 

1. You have healthy intentions to lose weight and eat better, but can't seem to make it stick.

*To help you follow through with your plans to lose weight or get healthy, a health coach will provide accountability and show you how to make small changes that will build up to a lifetime of good health.

2. You don’t understand why you have gained the weight, but you're not eating any differently. 

*A health coach will help you identify the changes you need to make and work with you to implement an action plan that will make the biggest impact on your health.

3. Giving in to your cravings and eating foods that you know you shouldn't.

*A health coach will help you identify the cause of the cravings and enable you to beat your cravings or binge eating.

4. The people around you are overweight or unhealthy, which makes it harder for you to instill healthier habits and eat better.

*If your family and friends look like they are at an unhealthy weight or don’t feel healthy, you might be hanging around people who aren’t aware of what good nutrition changes are needed. A health coach can help you navigate the truth about what is healthy and what is not.

5. You want to lose weight fast, but you have been on so many fad diets that just don't work long-term. . 

*Strict diets usually don’t work. First you severely restrict yourself, and when you lose the weight, the diet ends and you don’t know how to eat on a normal, daily basis. A health coach will teach you how to make healthy decisions that work for your body.

6. You can't find the time for better self-care. 

*There are only so many hours in a day and you simply don’t have any time to devote to exercising or cooking healthier, due to work and family obligations. A health coach will help empower you to prioritize your health and make the time to take better care of yourself.

7. You are stressed out with family and work responsibilities. 

*If you suffer from stress or anxiety, a health coach will teach you about the relationship between stress and chronic disease, how to reset your priorities, and how to get your stress and anxiety levels under control.

8. Your need to eat better but aren’t sure how to accomplish that with what you know or the time you have. 

*There are cookbooks, diet books, and products labeled “healthy” on the market everywhere, but you're not sure what is actually healthful and what isn't. A health coach will help guide you in finding foods that you enjoy that are healthful and nutritious.

9. You're not sure whether meat, protein, carbs, dairy, produce, or GMO foods are healthy.

*A health coach will help you determine what foods work best for your body and health needs. 

10. Nothing has worked before so you continue to gain weight or have chronic health issues. 

*Chances are you have given up because nothing you have tried before worked. If you have gained weight, or if you are suffering from chronic health issues that are blood sugar-related, high cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation or arthritis, or other health issues, you may be able to improve your health quickly through food and nutrition. A health coach can help you figure out what works for you and your health needs.

Do something empowering and healthy for yourself today and talk to a health coach. Your life and health will improve, and you will feel so much better!

Try these out and see how they work for you.

● Take a time-out. Practice yoga, listen to music, meditate, get a massage, or learn

relaxation techniques. Stepping back from the problem helps clear your head.

● Eat well-balanced meals. Do not skip any meals. Do keep healthful, energy-boosting

snacks on hand.

● Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.

● Get enough sleep. When stressed, your body needs additional sleep and rest.

● Exercise daily to help you feel good and maintain your health. Take deep breaths. Inhale

and exhale slowly. Count to 10 slowly. Repeat, and count to 20 if necessary.

● Do your best. Instead of aiming for perfection, which isn't possible, be proud of however

close you get.

● Accept that you cannot control everything. Put your stress in perspective: Is it really as

bad as you think?

● Welcome humor. A good laugh goes a long way.

● Maintain a positive attitude. Make an effort to replace negative thoughts with positive

ones.

● Get involved. Volunteer or find another way to be active in your community, which

creates a support network and gives you a break from everyday stress.

● Learn what triggers your anxiety. Is it work, family, school, or something else you can

identify? Write in a journal when you’re feeling stressed or anxious, and look for a pattern.

How to Keep Exercising Regularly, Eating Better, and Living Healthier

Do you ever say you're going to do something, and then at the last minute change your mind? You talked yourself out of it. So instead of putting on those running shoes, you hit the snooze, or you headed for the kitchen and grabbed the pint of ice cream out of the freezer. For a moment you feel guilty, but then tell yourself you will start tomorrow. But of course, something comes up and you've already forgotten the promise you made to yourself.

These mental stumbling blocks are what prevent us from taking it to the next level. When we overthink things to the point of talking ourselves out of doing something that we know is good for us, that's where we need to stop and assess exactly what the underlying issue is. Is it purely habit or laziness? Lack of motivation? Depression? Or simply being tired? Sometimes we get caught in this vicious cycle and don't know how to get out of it.

But you can break the pattern. Here's your guide:

1) Be aware. Take the time to really think about what is holding you back or sabotaging your goals.

2) Set your intention. Why and what it is that you want to accomplish? Those are hard questions, but once you've figured out what exactly you want to achieve, then anything is possible. Journaling is a good way to start. Keeping a written account of your actions makes you accountable, plus writing it down makes it real.

3) Be mindful. This goes a long way- mindfulness is an exercise that you can do in every aspect of your life. It is the practice of thinking through every decision - big or small - before you make it. You weigh the pro's and con's, then if it's worth the cost/benefit to you, you should do it.

4) Get back on track. Just because you got off track a day, or two, or 5, doesn't mean you give up. Put those days behind you, and start fresh. Remember - nobody's perfect everyday, all the time. Things happen in life; you have to be able to pick yourself back up and not be so hard on yourself.

5) Go ahead. After being aware of your actions, sometimes you just have to do things without a second thought. So instead of talking yourself out of putting on those running shoes, just put them on and go out the door. After 20 minutes, you will already feel mentally and physically much better. 

6) Have gratitude. Take a moment to honor yourself, your commitment, and your accomplishment. Small gradual steps lead to sustainable long-term positive change.

So, don't let "excuses" get in the way of what you want to achieve and what you know you are capable of doing. Be your best self EVERYDAY!