1. Hello readers! I would like to talk a little bit about the importance of eating healthy. I think we all know what too much grease and sugar can due to our bodies over time. Well if not, here's a list of a few things: heart attacks, strokes and heart disease. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 17.3 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2009, representing 30% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.3 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.2 million were due to stroke. The most important behavioral risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. The effects of unhealthy diet and physical inactivity may show up in individuals as raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, raised blood lipids, and overweight and obesity.

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. This study found that high-fat foods, like hamburgers, onion rings, oily pizzas and other regularly consumed fatty foods, actually lead to brain scarring and damage to the hypothalamus- the area of the brain responsible for hunger, thirst and the body’s natural rhythms and cycles. While the study was done on rodents, its findings remain insightful about what might happen to the human brain when we feed our bodies the unhealthful, high fat diets consumed by most Americans.

So what do you think? Is too much fat and sugar worth it? I don't think so, it leads to death and a host of other medical issues. If we are more conscious of the foods we eat, we may experience a sense of peace, fulfillment, and purpose which leads to a healthier, more balanced, and longer life.

TIPS: Remember to pay attention to the nutrition facts on anything you consume. This will tell you how much fat, carbohydrates, sugars and calories are in a serving. Eating food by servings will help you keep up with your recommended daily nutrition intake AKA "portion control". Some foods you may want to consider are:  

1. Green and brightly colored vegetables
2. Dark leafy greens and lettuce
3. Fresh fruits and berries
4. Lean turkey and chicken
5. Nuts, dried fruits and low calories snacks
6. Whole grain breads and pasta
7. Healthy cooking oils like canola and olive oils
8. Grass fed beef and bison
9. Cold water oily ocean fish
10. Low fat milk or soy beverages
11. Nuts, seeds, and legumes

Hi readers, I hope you all have enjoyed the last couple of days. Last time I said we would discuss a little bit about my personal struggle with creating a healthy lifestyle and some strategies you might find helpful if you’re someone seeking a similar goal.

My battle started when I was eleven years old. I began to pick up weight and by twelve I was bigger than most kids my age. I was maybe 25 to 30 pounds overweight. I was extremely self conscious and so unhappy. As I got older, I got bigger. By eighteen I was weighing 220 pounds and a size 18 in woman’s clothing. It wasn’t until I was twenty three years old when I decided to make a change. I knew something had to change because I didn’t want to live the rest of my life unhappy.

I started eating fresh fruits and vegetables, less sugar and fat. Instantly I had more energy and I used this energy to workout. I joined a nearby YMCA and I worked out at least four times a week. Surprisingly, I discovered that I had a passion for jogging, which is now my favorite type of exercise.

By no means am I the healthiest person. I still eat those unhealthy foods like chips and cookies but I have learned portion control and how to integrate healthy foods into my diet. Sixty pounds lighter, I am far from perfect but absolutely much happier. My body feels better and I have a brighter outlook on life.

TIPS: If you’re someone like me that doesn’t like exercising or eating healthy, I recommend you find ways to include the things you personally love into the process.

Listen to Music: try using an iPod or internet radio. Some gyms have televisions and radios built directly into the machines, so you can watch TV and listen to music while enjoying a workout. Try taking a book or magazine. If your budget is tight and there’s no room for an extra gym expense, walk outside or buy workout DVDs. Bottom line please get active. According to BBC Health adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week.

Eat your favorite Fruits and Veggies: Go to the grocery store; pick out 2 or 3 of your favorite fruits and veggies. Make these foods work for you. For example, I love cucumbers. I slice them into very thin round pieces, sprinkle a little black pepper and cover them with a few table spoons of apple cider vinegar. This is a delicious snack and one serving of vegetables. You may also try using little peanut butter on an apple or celery.

Please leave comments. I would like to know, what are your favorite fruits and vegetables?

Would you rather be healthy, or happy?

Hard question right? Maybe you don’t need to choose between the two. Maybe health and happiness are so entwined that improving one means improving the other?

Research has found that happiness is associated with living longer and a reduction in all-cause of death. Happy people seem to have healthier hearts. They recover more quickly from surgery, lower blood pressure, and an immune system that more effectively fights off colds and the flu.

So what do you think? Does being healthy make you a happier person? Or does being happy actually improve your health? Or maybe…it’s that our level of happiness influences our health behaviors. If we’re unhappy, are we more likely to smoke, not workout, and over eat ?

After asking these questions and giving it much thought, I think it’s clear that there is a close connection between happiness and health.

I believe being happy starts with taking good care of your health and being healthy means that you are functioning as you were intended to function; resulting in feeling energetic and capable of performing a wide range of activities. Activities include our favorite hobbies which also causes us much happiness. For example, if you’re a person that enjoys bike riding but you eat cheeseburgers and French fries every day, how long do you expect to be able to continue bike riding? It’s only natural for our bodies to shut down after consuming too much fat, sugar or bad carbohydrates. Needless to say if we want to continue doing the things that make us happy, we must first start with living a healthy lifestyle so we are capable of performing these things.

Let me help ease your concerns a little. Being healthy doesn’t necessarily mean you can never eat cheeseburgers or French fries, it just means there should be a balance. For example, choose one day a week to eat your favorite foods and then discipline yourself the other six days to eat healthy foods. This will create good eating habits which will come natural in time.

In my next blog, I’ll discuss a little bit about my personal struggle with creating a healthy lifestyle for myself and some strategies you might find helpful if you’re someone seeking a similar goal.