HealthandHappiness

Surround yourself with positive people! Positive people will lift your spirits, make the day brighter, and put life in perspective.

Everyone gets down now and then. If you are depressed, however, you are sad all the time. When going through depression, surround yourself with positive people. It will help lift the veil of sadness and hopelessness you are under.

Positive people have a different way of looking at the world. It’s not that we don’t believe bad things happen, people get hurt, and everything’s a bed of roses. It’s just that we look to the good in situations, take the time to be thankful for what we do have, and put a positive spin on things.

Positive people have bad days too. Don’t expect your happy-go-lucky friend to always be chipper. They will probably bounce out of it in a short time though. I find it takes much less energy to be happy than sad. It’s easier to find the good in people than the bad. I don’t like being unhappy, so I find ways to stop it. That’s what positive people do!

Trying to lose weight and get healthy are great goals, but not at the detriment of your self-esteem.

During a weight loss phase or diet, remember to be nice to yourself. Don’t put yourself down for slips, or only look at the things you want to change. Concentrate on the good parts too. Compliment yourself on progress, and love yourself for what you look like now!

It is so important to be nice to yourself. Putting yourself down because you weigh a certain amount, or fit into a certain size, will only make it harder to lose weight. Don’t forget the good things about yourself when dieting. Accentuate the positives and praise yourself for accomplishments.

Be nice to yourself and the scale will be nice too! Mind and body go together in weight loss just like everything else in life.

Strength training and weight lifting are wonderful exercises to participate in. They help build muscle and strengthen bone. Lifting weights is good for women as well as men, and especially good for people with certain conditions or on some medications.

Anyone with a thyroid problem should do regular strength training exercises. Thyroid problems lead to weak bones and osteoporosis.

Anyone who takes mediations for diabetes and other conditions should check the prescribing information. Some medications lead to bone loss. Weight lifting and strength training will help counteract the effects of medications.

Strength training is wonderful for healthy people also. Building muscle and strengthening bones will lead to more productive, healthy lives. Start a strength training routine today!

I’m four pounds down now in my weight loss journey. Pretty good start for the first week of the year. I just have to keep the momentum going, and stay focused so I can reach my goals.

I hope to lose a pretty good amount this first month, because I figure my weight loss will slow down after that. Whenever I’ve tried to lose weight before I averaged 2-3 pounds a month, so I expect the rate to slow considerably soon.

Do you lose quickly or slowly when you diet? If you lose slowly, does it make sticking with the plan hard? I know it does for me. My friends will talk of losing five pounds a week each and every week, and sometimes I let my slow weight loss get to me. I have to learn to control that impulse, and be thankful for whatever amount I do lose. Anything is better than nothing!

Good luck to all the others out there trying to lose weight and get healthy!

There are differences of opinion when it comes to taking an off day when dieting. Some people think it defeats the purpose of doing good the rest of the time, while others think it breaks up the monotony and allows a little more freedom without going overboard and ruining the whole diet plan.

Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking an off day occasionally while dieting. You shouldn’t go hog wild and eat everything in the house, but a structured off day won’t hurt in the long run.

Sometimes, depriving yourself of something you really want will lead to binges. If you take an off day and have the treat, it is more productive for weight loss. After the off day you can go right back on plan hard and heavy.

In the end, it really comes down to what works for each person. If you can go off for one day, or meal, only and then get right back on plan, an off day is good. If one off day leads to ten, you may want to avoid them altogether. To thine own self be true!

Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore that you dread participating in. Make exercise fun and you are more likely keep up with it.

Here are some fun exercises:

Dancing is a wonderful form of exercise that is lots of fun. Dance with your spouse or significant other and add even more fun, or dance with your children to make an afternoon entertaining.

Sex is another fun way to incorporate exercise into your day. Burn calories while burning up the sheets! Lady’s, your husbands are more than willing to help with this form of exercise.

Playing games with your children is another way to make exercise fun. Tag, hopscotch, and ring around the rosy are some children’s games that come to mind.

Pick whatever fun things you can think of that make the heart rate go up, and add them to your exercise routine. It is sure to make getting healthy easier!

People’s opinions differ on exercising in front of the television. Some people say it breaks concentration and leads to less intense workouts, others insist that it helps. Which do you believe?

I ride my exercise bike in front of the television. It helps me because I get bored easily otherwise. With the television on, I have something to keep my mind occupied besides just riding the bike. Makes the time go by faster.

I believe anything that keeps you on the exercise equipment and doing the workouts is great. The whole point is to accomplish a workout. Do whatever it takes to help you actually get in a good workout and get healthy.

I’ve been doing well on my New Year’s resolution so far. I weighed today, because Sunday is my usual weigh-in day, and I’m down two pounds. I think that’s pretty good for 3 days!

How are y’all doing? Anybody else weighed yet? I am going to try to make myself only weigh once a week, because otherwise I get discouraged when no losses show on the scale. Do you do that? Let the scale ruin your day? I know it’s not right, but still fall victim ever now and then.

I can’t say that I’ve made my carb goal each day, but I’ve been doing a lot better than I was. Any improvement is good!

I hope all of you are seeing some positive changes also!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone strapped on their motivation this morning, all set to accomplish the ever exciting New Year’s Resolutions.

I feel very motivated this morning. Of course, it’s easy to be excited and motivated on the first day of the year. As the months go by, keeping motivated isn’t as easy. To accomplish our goals, we have to remain steadfast in our quest!

Make lists of ways to get motivation back if you lose it. Keep the list handy for when the time comes. Having a plan of action already set out will help ensure your lapse doesn’t last long.

Keep your eye on the prize. Put encouraging items around the house that will help you stick to your goals. A visual reminder of what you are working toward will help tremendously.

You can achieve your goals. Tell yourself this, and make sure you believe it. We all have the ability to accomplish whatever we set out to. Be good to yourself and reach for the stars!

I’m getting myself in the right frame of mind to stick with my New Year’s resolution. I really want to get the weight off this year. I’m tired of feeling bad about myself all the time, and I want my blood sugar readings to come down. I also know that exercising more will help with my fibromyalgia pain.

Here are my short-term goals:

Eat less than 100 carbs a day. (My doctor recommended this)

Exercise at least 4 days a week. (Will change this as I progress. Have to start slow with fibromyalgia or I will be in even more pain.)

Lose five pounds a month. (May not make this one every month. When losing before I didn’t do five pounds each month, but I think it’s a reasonable goal to set.)

Overall Goals:

Lose 50 pounds

Like myself in a bathing suit

Fit into a size 8

What are your weight loss goals? What is your plan to achieve them?