ibaL ezine: A healthy lifestyle is simple

Let's start with a simple quiz which most, if not everybody can relate to.

How much do you know about what makes up a healthy lifestyle? Here's a pop quiz.

1. How do you define working out?

a. Going to the gym.
b. Playing frisbee with your children or dog.
c. Vacuuming the home.

2. How do you define good nutrition?
a. Eating a vegetable at every meal.
b. Eating two vegetables at every meal.
c. Drinking a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

3. Which of these is a healthy activity?
a. Push-ups, sit-ups, or running the track.
b. Walking the dog after dinner.
c. Spending Saturday afternoon snoozing on the sofa.

Believe it or not, the correct answer to every question is A, B, and C -- even that Saturday afternoon snooze! According to the growing "Stealth Health" movement, sneaking healthy habits into our daily living is easier than we think.
"You can infuse your life with the power of prevention incrementally and fairly painlessly, and yes, doing something, no matter how small, is infinitely better for you than doing nothing," says David Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center and of the Yale Preventive Medicine Center. Katz is also co-author of the book Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying, Disease-Fighting Habits into Your Life without Really Trying.
From your morning shower to the evening news, from your work commute to your household chores, Katz says, there are at least 2,400 ways to sneak healthy activities into daily living.
"If you let yourself make small changes, they will add up to meaningful changes in the quality of your diet, your physical activity pattern, your capacity to deal with stress, and in your sleep quality -- and those four things comprise an enormously powerful health promotion that can change your life," says Katz.
And yes, he says, a nap on the couch can be a health-giving opportunity -- particularly if you aren't getting enough sleep at night.
Nutritionist and diabetes educator Fran Grossman, RD, CDE, agrees. "You don't have to belong to a gym or live on wheat grass just to be healthy," says Grossman, a nutrition counselor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "There are dozens of small things you can do every day that make a difference, and you don't always have to do a lot to gain a lot."

Try the Stealth Health Approach
Tempted to give "Stealth Health" a try? Katz recommends picking any three of the following 12 changes and incorporating them into your life for four days. When you feel comfortable with those changes, pick three others. Once you've incorporate all dozen changes, you should start to feel a difference within a couple of weeks, he says.

To Improve Nutrition:

1. Buy whole foods -- whether canned, frozen, or fresh from the farm -- and use them in place of processed foods whenever possible.

2. Reject foods and drinks made with corn syrup, a calorie-dense, nutritionally empty sweetener that many believe is worse for the body than sugar, says Katz.

3. Start each dinner with a mixed green salad. Not only will it help reduce your appetite for more caloric foods, but it also will automatically add veggies to your meal.

To Improve Physical Fitness:
1. Do a squat every time you pick something up. Instead of bending over in the usual way, which stresses the lower back, bend your knees and squat. This forces you to use your leg muscles and will build strength.

2. Every time you stop at a traffic light (or the bus does), tighten your thighs and butt muscles and release as many times as you can. (Don't worry, no one will see it!) This will firm leg and buttock muscles, improve blood flow -- and keep you mildly amused!

3. Whenever you're standing in a line, lift one foot a half-inch off the ground. The extra stress on your opposite foot, ankle, calf and thigh, plus your buttocks, will help firm and tone muscles. Switch feet every few minutes.

To Improve Stress Control:

1. Give your partner a hug every day before work. Studies show this simple act can help you remain calm when chaos ensues during your day, Katz says.

2. Have a good cry. It can boost your immune system, reduce levels of stress hormones, eliminate depression, and help you think more clearly.

3. Twice a day, breathe deeply for three to five minutes

To Improve Sleep:
1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water. The scent has been shown in studies to promote relaxation, which can lead to better sleep.

2. Buy a new pillow. Katz says that studies show that pillows with an indent in the center can enhance sleep quality and reduce neck pain. Also, try a "cool" pillow -- one containing either all-natural fibers or a combination of sodium sulfate and ceramic fibers that help keep your head cool.

3. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. You'll be giving yourself a boost of fiber and essential fatty acids along with the amino acid tryptophan -- a natural sleep-inducer.

ibaL view: Often the stigma attached to getting healthy, particularly at this time of year, invokes feelings of munching on celery sticks all day long, combined with a crash course of circuit training at the local gym, often leading to discouragment and lack of interest.
Changes toward a healthier lifestyle need not be so drastic. Small tweaks in daily habits can net huge benefits.
Seeing that we are at that time of year when a lot of folks resolve to shed a few pounds, take note of the following.....

Be Wary of Fad Diets!
If you're looking to help kick start your weight loss program, it's important to carefully research a diet plan before you commit to one.
Look for these warning signs of an unhealthy fad diet, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
• A diet that promises very fast weight loss -- anything more than a pound or two per week.
• A diet that promises weight loss without changing diet habits or engaging in an exercise program.
• A diet that is promoted by "scientific" testimonials and pictures of "before" and "after" success stories.
• A diet that involves expensive seminars, medications, or pre-made meals.
• A diet that focuses on very few acceptable foods, and doesn't focus on a healthy, balanced diet.
• A diet that points to simple explanations drawn from confusing research.

-HealthFitness, date unknown, “Health News”

Click below to check out ibaL's recommendation for weight management as a way of life, not just a Fad!