Live a Heart Healthy Lifestyle

Thanks to Janet for sending me inspiration on today’s tip. Let’s face it, we need to keep our heart healthy.. it is the only one we have and if we abuse it by being inactive and eating an unhealthy diet, it may decide to rebel, and we know this isn’t a good thing.. the last thing you want to do is end up in the hospital with a heart attack.

You can’t do one thing without the other.. you can’t exercise to take care of yourself and then eat a diet rich in salt, fat and sugar and expect to be healthy.. or you can’t eat a fairly healthy diet and be a couch slouch…. it all has to work together to give you the best chance at living a long and healthful life.

Today I am sending you all to the Heart and Stroke Foundation Website.. for great (and EASY) resources on how to keep your heart healthy! I want you all around for many years to come so we can all be fit and have fun being healthy together.

Register for their Action Plan
Heart Healthy Recipe File
Healthy Living
Health Information

Daily Calories and Meal Planning

Last week I didn’t bother to make up a meal plan.. what a mistake that was.. we didn’t eat half as well as we had been while doing so, less veggies, fruit and more starch.. or just plain ordering out for a pizza were on the menu for the week. So that made me realize the importance of meal planning when I stepped on the scales at the end week with a one pound gain. So this morning I promptly got up and planned the meals for the week.. now this isn’t always easy.

If we not only want to be healthy and need to lose weight, we need to lessen our caloric intake and sometimes being creative in this area isn’t on the list of many people’s list of things to do. Personally, I enjoy this process of sitting down on Saturday morning before I shop, so I know what ingredients I am going to need that week for the meals. This way I don’t need to run out to the store or change the plan because I don’t have what I need to make that recipe during the week.

And remember portion control.. when a recipe says you have have one chicken breast.. it doesn’t mean from a 10 pound  chicken.. A portion of meat is no bigger than the palm of your hand.. whatever size that may be.

Below are some great links to refer to, low calorie meal plans, recipes, healthy foods for losing weight and more.Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Best weight loss foods that help you lose weight
498 Free Diet Meal plans that actually work
Foods NOT to eat when trying to lose weight
25 Ways to curb your cravings for BAD foods

Healthy Smile… Healthy Body!

If we are going to talk about being healthy it is important to talk about dental hygiene. I always remember an old saying my dad used to tell me.. your teeth are fine.. but your gums gotta go. I always remembered that.. dad was a smart guy.. in the army he was a dental assistant and so throughout his life he took very good care of his mouth and passed away last year at age 87 with a full mouth of his own teeth.

I am surprised so many people don’t realize that not taking care of your gums is extremely dangerous and detrimental to your overall health. Poor oral healthcare can lead to respiratory issues and diabetes. There was an article that ran in the paper just a while back, a woman had a baby that was deceased and they traced it back to her gum disease that had gone untreated.

Having said that, if you have ever known someone that had gum disease you would also know that the things they need to do to help you are extremely unpleasant if left untreated. If you think going to the dentist is bad enough, you should know know that gum disease treatment is much worse. It will make going for your regular cleanings or even a filling look like a breeze..

So take care of your gums, go to the dentist, brush, floss, use those funny tools the dentist gives you to use at home and have a happy healthy smile.

Here’s some links to keep in mind:
Canadian Dental Association – Your oral health
Health Canada – the effects of oral health
It’s Your Health – Gum Disease

Rest and Recovery Days

Doing a daily workout has been my goal but the more I read, it kept talking about taking a day off to let your muscles recover. However, walking doesn’t seem to be part of this rule.

Walking is something that many experts recommend be part of your daily routine, however, other activities that really work your muscles like running, weight lifting and other more strenuous aerobic exercise, it is recommended you take a day between to let muscles recover… it does also say however that you can work out everyday if you work out different muscles.. so if you do a weight workout that only stresses your upper body one day, the next day you can do all exercises that work the lower body…. so you decide what your routine should be.

Personally, I walk every day on the treadmill and exercise with either weights or core exercises on alternate days and that works for me. After all, even God took a day of rest from all his hard work, so who’s to argue with an expert

Here’s some resources to help you make your own decisions:
Rest and Recovery in your Exercise Routine
Rest from exercise to recovery can help your weight loss

Change Your Thinking!

You will have more success at everything in life if you have a change of thought.

Instead of negatives, which actually do get focused on .. instead of thinking, “I am not GOING to EAT that CAKE”, or telling a child, “Don’t GO into my ROOOM” change your structure to “I am GOING to EAT a HEALTHY SNACK” and “PLAY with your TOYS in YOUR ROOM because I LIKE my ROOM to be TIDY. 

Reversing negative thoughts into positive and thinking about it when you do, will get much better results.

Welcome to PICFIT! We hope you enjoy the many articles and resources to help you lead a healthy and fit lifestyle.  We welcome your ideas and suggestions.  Have a healthy day!