I resolve… to get the exercise and follow the diet plan I plan to every year.

/in , , /by

FEEL LIKE YOUR EXPIRATION DATE HAS EXPIRED?

If you don’t fuel your body correctly, your engine just continues to run down. You’re about as enticing as curdled milk, as productive as products marked “use before 2014”, or as useful as coupons on products that haven’t been stocked for ages. But we really don’t have to tell you all this. You feel it. Day in and day out. Let’s be honest here. Diet and exercise? Resolutions from time eternal. You know all this stuff, it’s all over the place. But, we’ll go through it all again. And maybe this time it will really sink in.

BAD EATING, EATING YOU UP?

Fill up on some of these surprising food facts:

More than half of Americans say they give a lot of thought to the healthfulness of foods and beverages they consume. But much of what we read and hear about nutrition — from the virtues of fruit juice to the hazards of fat, can steer us to make choices that are less healthful than we think:

-Imported produce from the supermarket can have higher nutrient levels than local produce from a farmers’ market.

-Blueberries shipped long distances could actually be slightly more nutritious than those right off the bush.

-Foods labeled “no trans-fat” may legally contain some.

–Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free.

–Canned white tuna has about three times more mercury than chunk light. Canned salmon has less mercury than both types of tuna.

–Fruit juice can have more calories and sugar than soda.

–Not all fiber is created equal.

-Multigrain” products aren’t necessarily whole grain.

Who knew?

GOBBLE UP THESE GOODIES

There are endless ways healthy eating can affect how you feel. (Great, fabulous, young, sexy…)

Following a healthy food plan can:

  • Make you happier
  • Protect your bones
  • Rev up your fertility
  • Conquer cramps
  • Give you an iron-clad immune system
  • Fix your DNA
  • Boost your workout
  • Chill you out
  • Clear up your skin
  • Prevent insomnia
  • Soothe sore muscles
  • Fill you with energy

Spinach anyone? Nuts? Berries? Fill up your fridge with healthy choices and you’re choosing to live and feel better. To-the-moon-and-back better.

So, sorry… if Ben and Jerry’s comes up with a hundred new flavors, you are not contracted to try them all. Yes, dark chocolate is good. But not when it is covering cashews, caramel corn or even pretzels. Just because you pay an outrageous price for a 24-oz. steak, doesn’t mean you have to make “all gone.” You don’t get a tiara for becoming the Junk Food Queen. Hot dogs and beer aren’t married to ballgames.

The moral of the food story? Try using your head as much as your stomach.

TAKE A LUNGE AT THIS

Exercise. Eew…you cringe when you even think about this half of the health equation.

But it’s really simple folks.

Simple.

MOVE MORE.

And not from the sofa to the fridge and back ad infinitum.

For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines:

-Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of both. Spread it out in small amount if you need to. Just sweat.

-Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. Work those muscles.

-Stretch, before and after. Helps keep you flexible and avoid hurting yourself. And boy, it feels insanely good.

Everyone can work exercise into their routine. Disabled? There are chair workouts. And the wheelchair bound are entering marathons the world over. You don’t need fancy moves to make exercise work for you. You don’t need to be a killing machine to kill it. You just have to start. And start gradually. The first thing you have to leap are the mental and emotional barriers that might be plaguing you.  Well, get over it, and get going.  Fact is, doing absolutely squat will do nothing for your health.

I RESOLVE TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE

Yes, not eating right can take a big bite out of your life

Yes, not exercising can make you sweat about your health.

But yes, there is something else that can put a halt to feeling your best. Your hormones. There are some 50 different hormones in your body, sending messages to your cells and organs. But sometimes they don’t do their jobs. And when they don’t work, everything else won’t work.

But there’s an amazing way to get a handle on their sometime crazy sprees. Make an appointment with Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein, M.D., F.A.C.S at Denver Hormone Health. He has years of experience and advanced education in turning things around when it comes to balancing your hormones. With simple tests, he can determine which hormones are doing what and create an individualized treatment therapy for you. Don’t let hormones have their way with you.

Make an appointment to come in now.

Restraint is the last thing you should exercise.