Habit #3: NO Sweets!

Refined sugar is addictive and it is hard to get out of the sugar rut. I know that when I stay away from sugar, I feel so much better and don't crave it as much. When I do eat a sugary treat, it seems like it is that much harder for me to pass it up again. So for me, just not eating it at all is easiest in the long run. A few of the challengers have mentioned that the no sweets habit is the hardest to overcome, so I found a site that has a little slide show of healthy sweet treats. Here is the link:
http://fun.familyeducation.com/slideshow/desserts-and-baked-goods/62175.html?page=1&detoured=1

If you have any thing that helps you, please share!

Habit # 4- Water!

On these cold days, I have a harder time getting all my water in. I need to a keep a water bottle out all day to remind myself to drink up! After reading a few articles about the importance of keeping hydrated, I don't think I will have that problem anymore. Here is an article I found at http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.html that summed it all up nicely:

Top 11 Health Benefits of Drinking Water

You will be amazed of the benefits of drinking water as follow:

1. Lose weight: Drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water reduces hunger, it’s an effective appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. Plus, water has zero calories.
   
2. Natural Remedy for Headache: Helps to relieve headache and back pains due to dehydration. Although there are many other reasons contribute to headache, dehydration is the common one.
3. Look Younger with Healthier Skin: You’ll look younger when your skin is properly hydrated. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increase skin elasticity.
4. Better Productivity at Work: Your brain is mostly made up of water, thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and more concentrate.
5. Better Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature. You’ll feel more energetic when doing exercises and water helps to fuel your muscle.
6. Helps in Digestion and Constipation: Drinking water raises your metabolism because it helps in digestion. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.
7. Less Cramps and Sprains: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.
8. Less Likely to Get Sick and Feel Healthy: Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu and other ailments like kidney stones and heart attack. Water adds with lemon is used for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis etc. Another words one of the benefits of drinking water can improve our immune system.
   
9. Relieves Fatigue: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. If your body lacks of water, your heart, for instance, need to work harder to pump out the oxygenated blood to all cells, so are the rest of the vital organs, your organs will be exhausted and so are you.
10. Good Mood: Your body fells very good that’s why you soul feels happy.
11. Reduce the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.

Can you see the importance of water to your body after understanding the above benefits of drinking water?

Week 3 Report

Amy 34
Cassie 41
Dana 52
Jason 34
Julie S. 46
Laura
Mary 23
Melissa 57
Mindie 47
Suzanne 58
Suzy 60 (Hooray!!)
Tennille 50

Habit #1 Sleep!

One of the challengers said she was having a hard time getting her points for Habit #1 , Sleep! This is usually an easy point for me because I NEED sleep. In fact, I have learned that 7 hours is not enough for me, I need to regularly get 8 hours of sleep to be happy and productive. For me, I have learned that setting aside other things to get more sleep is most important. My house may be a mess, and the laundry I wanted to get done is still sitting in a pile on the floor, but when it is my bedtime, I go to bed. When I don't, I pay the price, and so does everyone around me.

The following is part of an article I found about sleep. If anyone has anything else to say about sleep, and what works or doesn't work for you, please leave a comment!

Amount of sleep needed

Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can't perform at their peak unless they've slept ten hours. And, contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn't decline with age but the ability to sleep for six to eight hours at one time may be reduced. (Van Dongen & Dinges, Principles & Practice of Sleep Medicine, 2000)

Groups that are at particular risk for sleep deprivation include night shift workers, physicians (average sleep = 6.5 hours a day; residents = 5 hours a day), truck drivers, parents and teenagers. (American Academy of Sleep Medicine and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group on Problem Sleepiness. 1997).

How environment and behavior affect a person’s sleep

Stress is the number one cause of short-term sleeping difficulties, according to sleep experts. Common triggers include school- or job-related pressures, a family or marriage problem and a serious illness or death in the family. Usually the sleep problem disappears when the stressful situation passes. However, if short-term sleep problems such as insomnia aren't managed properly from the beginning, they can persist long after the original stress has passed.

Drinking alcohol or beverages containing caffeine in the afternoon or evening, exercising close to bedtime, following an irregular morning and nighttime schedule, and working or doing other mentally intense activities right before or after getting into bed can disrupt sleep.

If you are among the 20 percent of employees in the United States who are shift workers, sleep may be particularly elusive. Shift work forces you to try to sleep when activities around you - and your own "biological rhythms" - signal you to be awake. One study shows that shift workers are two to five times more likely than employees with regular, daytime hours to fall asleep on the job.

Traveling also disrupts sleep, especially jet lag and traveling across several time zones. This can upset your biological or “circadian” rhythms.

Environmental factors such as a room that's too hot or cold, too noisy or too brightly lit can be a barrier to sound sleep. And interruptions from children or other family members can also disrupt sleep. Other influences to pay attention to are the comfort and size of your bed and the habits of your sleep partner. If you have to lie beside someone who has different sleep preferences, snores, can't fall or stay asleep, or has other sleep difficulties, it often becomes your problem too!

Having a 24/7 lifestyle can also interrupt regular sleep patterns: the global economy that includes round the clock industries working to beat the competition; widespread use of nonstop automated systems to communicate and an increase in shift work makes for sleeping at regular times difficult.

How to get a good night sleep

According to leading sleep researchers, there are techniques to combat common sleep problems:

• Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule

• Don’t drink or eat caffeine four to six hours before bed and minimize daytime use

• Don’t smoke, especially near bedtime or if you awake in the night
  

• Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before sleep

• Get regular exercise

• Minimize noise, light and excessive hot and cold temperatures where you sleep

• Develop a regular bed time and go to bed at the same time each night

• Try and wake up without an alarm clock

• Attempt to go to bed earlier every night for certain period; this will ensure that you’re getting enough sleep

If you want to read more, click on the link below:
http://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx#

Week 2 Report

Amy 27
Cassie 39
Dana 51
Jason 42
Julie S. 47
Laura
Mary 42
Melissa 43
Mindie 50
Suzanne 58
Suzy 59
Tennille 42

Week 1 Report

Congratulations to everyone who completed the first week of the Healthy Habits Challenge! Here are the scores for the week:

Amy 39
Cassie 40
Dana 42
Jason 41
Julie S. 52
Laura 40
Mary 47
Melissa 57
Mindie 53
Suzanne 57
Suzy 59
Tennille 23

(As you tell me your scores, I will add it to the blog.)

Habit #5: Eat 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day

I recently read that if the only change we made to our diet was to double our intake of fruits and vegetables, we would be well on our way to eating a healthy diet. We know fruit and veggies are important to us, so here are some tips on how to include them in your diet:
(Found this in an article by Dena McDowell, MS, RD at thedietchannel.com)

Adding fruits & vegetables to your diet is easy

Here some tips to add fruits and vegetables into your diet:

• Keep a bowl of whole fruit on the table or counter.
• Cut-up fruit and veggies and store in the refrigerator at eye level to remind you to snack on these nutritious foods when you open the fridge.
• Buy fresh fruits and veggies in season when they may be less expensive and at their peak flavor.
• Try fruit (strawberries, bananas, apricots) dipped in chocolate. Keep low calorie caramel dip on hand for apples.
• Act like a kid and make “Ants on a Log” (take celery and fill with peanut butter, top peanut butter with raisins).
• For a quick energy boost make a fruit smoothie (your choice of juice, yogurt and fruit, blend for a delicious treat).
• Try hummus on cut up veggies.
• Shred carrots or zucchini into casseroles, quick breads, and muffins or cakes. Use applesauce instead of oil when baking.
• For a sweet treat, mix 1/2 cup vanilla or lemon pudding with 1/2 cup light whipped topping. Use as a dip for your favorite fruit.
• At breakfast, top your cereal with bananas or peaches; add blueberries to pancakes; drink 100% orange or grapefruit juice. Or, try a fruit mixed with low-fat or fat-free yogurt and top with low-fat granola. Top whole grain bread with a 100% fruit spread. Make a vegetable omelet using peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes and add your favorite cheese.
• At lunch, pack fresh fruit or canned fruit in natural or light juice. Add a vegetable based soup (like minestrone or vegetable beef) and pair with a sandwich full of lettuce and tomatoes. Or make a trip to the salad bar and load your plate with fresh greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and carrots. Add sunflower seeds, cheese and eggs to complete the meal. Don’t forget the light salad dressing. Try a can of vegetable juice if you can’t eat a salad or soup.
• For dinner, plan some meals around a vegetable main dish, such as a vegetable stir-fry or soup. Then add other chicken, fish, pork or lean beef to complement the meal. Include a green salad with your dinner every night. Add chopped vegetables in pasta sauce. If barbequing meat, grill peppers and mushrooms to add flavor to the meat. Try making meat and vegetable kabobs using a variety of different vegetables. Serve with a baked potato or sweet potato on the side. Try meat dishes that incorporate fruit, such as chicken with pineapple or mango sauce. On pizza night, order a veggie pizza with toppings like mushrooms, green peppers and onions, and skip the meat toppings.
• For dessert, have baked apples, pears, or try frozen juice bars (100% juice), sorbet, sherbet, or frozen yogurt topping with fruit.

It really is easy to add veggies to your meals when you have veggies on the mind. Tonight I added chopped red and yellow bell peppers to my chicken enchiladas. Added nutrients, and no one even knew they were there! I love being sneaky with my veggies! Leave a comment if you have any simple ways that you get your five a day!