December 3, Thursday: How did I forget about Yoga?

Many months have passed since I have done Yoga. There was a time that I did it religiously every morning to start my day and it sure did make a difference with how I felt mentally and physically all day.

So what happened? Why did I stop? I don't want to blame anything or anyone really as these things just happen, the good news it that I have a wonderful foundation in the Yoga practice and I know I will get right back into it.

Fortunately for me I was reminded about all the wonderful health benefits from a recent client, Nicole. Her passion for it really inspired me to get back to the matt and start practicing again. So the very next morning after I met with her I got up early and did several Sun Salutations, the warrior, the child pose, and ended up with a 15 minute mindful sit. Wow, that sure set my day on the right track.

I have been able to practice Yoga for 3 days in a row and I can already feel the difference so I will certainly make a point to include it in my weekly routine.

This week give Yoga a try.. Visit Yoga Journal for more information.. Take care..

Please email me any comments or topics you would like me to blog about.. at: vince@healthfitnessadvisor.com

November 22, Sunday: Count Your Servings - Getting 7 - 13 everday!

Depending on which organization you are following whether it be the American Heart Association or the Cancer Society guidelines, they all promote a certain number of servings of fruits and veggies combined. Everywhere I read I am hearing the same thing, "the more fruit and veggie servings we cnsume each day the more protection we have from the major challenges like cancer, heart disease or diabetes.

What is a serving? 1/2 cup cooked veggie, 1 cup raw veggie, 2 cups salad, one medium size fruit, or 1/2 cup mixed fruit.

It's easy to meet these recommendations. You can start the morning with a couple of fruits like a banana and some organic blueberries in your cereal or oatmeal. For a mid morning snack reach for some celery with almond butter and another fruit like an apple. For Lunch have a huge salad with mixed veggies and a vegetarian lasagna loaded with veggies and you will definitely take in at least 4 servings. At the mid-afternoon snack munch on an orange and when it comes for dinner eat another salad, more veggies cooked up in a soup or a stir fry.

So let's see that is 2 servings for breakfast, 2 servings for the midmorning snack, 4 servings for lunch, 1 serving for the midafternoon snack, and 3 servings for dinner for a total of 12 servings.. See how easy this is.

Now go out there and meal plan in your fruits and veggies and provide the most optimum protection for your body.. And to really make a difference try organic. Not all fruits and veggies need to be organic so check out "Organic Foods Article" to see which ones to buy organic.

Enjoy.

I want to also thank my thursday night class for a wonderful 10 weeks. We just finished up last thursday night and I will sure miss all of you. Please keep in touch and send me an email or drop by Positive Choice anytime. I will post the new class soon so please stop by. Take care.

If you want to get a laugh at my kid doing the motor boat go to Eli

November 11, Wednesday: Getting a Good Night Sleep

Ah yes.. A good night sleep is all I need. So many of my clients can relate to this. And like so many of us we burn the candle at both ends. As we all know we live in a very busy society, always doing somthing.. Unfortunately, sleep takes a back seat and according to many researchers and doctors, it is taking a toll on our health.

More healthcare professionals are learning that quality sleep is just as important as Nutrition and Exercise if not more important. I think for so many of us we fall into a viscous cycle of not sleeping well and then in turn not eating well and not exercising which means more poor sleep and that is when our health can really take a turn for the worse.

So what can we do about it? Find out if it's a problem for you by tuning in to how you feel through out the day. Are you always tired, yawning or sleepy? Do you lack energy? If you answered yes then chances are you are not getting good quality sleep.. It is time to do somthing about it.

I am certainly not a sleep expert but I do have personal experience with poor quality of sleep over the years and I have been to my share of sleep seminars and have read my share of books on good sleep hygiene.

Some quick tips are: Try and manage environmental interruptions like noise or a poor mattress. Think about what physical interruptions you are dealing with like pain or bladder challenges and get the appropriate help for that. How about mental interruptions like problem solving in the middle of the night. Make sure to avoid alcohol or caffiene before bed. Try Mindful Meditation during the day and before bed to clear the mind and get it ready for sleep. darken the room and take a hot bath before bed.

These are just a few tips but I encourage all of you to look into this area of your life and make sure you are getting good quality sleep. talk to your doctor for suggestions, heck you may find out you have sleep apnea or some kind of an obsruction that is very treatable.

Good luck and sweet dreams.

November 8, Sunday: Training Eli to Eat Healthy at 14 months Old
Ah yes, this is a beautiful site for me to see my son loving to eat Apples. An Apple a day will help keep the doctor away!! remember to strive for at least 7-13 servings of fruits and veggies combined each day..

November 3, Tuesday: Meal Planning

The last several classes have been about meal planning. I believe once someone really implements this into their life they will not only be able to manage their weight but ensure good health. Meal Planning is not easy, I know, and it took a while for me to get started with it in my own life and to keep it going. Just like everything else once we do it a few times we will be off and running. These days I bring a small cooler to work filled with good tasty healthy foods for the day and sometimes my days last 12 to 13 hours.

So how do you get started? I believe it starts with a balance healthy menu for the day and then create one for the week. There are several on my Meal Planning page or you can create one on your own. You need to follow some guidelines like ensuring it has adequate protein, fiber, the right kinds of fats, and so on. You can get this informaion in my classes or follow Andrew Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramidwhich I think is great. Of course learning a few good healthy recipies is important as well and if you are not familar with cooking this would be a good time to learn.

Once you have designed the menus then it's time to head to the store with the food list created from these menus. After the groceries are purchased it is time to prepare and cook your meals for the week or for the next several weeks. Portion them out and freeze some for future use. I know it all sounds easy and it is once you get the hang of it.

I vote for getting help from the family to make things easier, designate jobs and tasks to do. It can be a fun time for the entire family.

Check back on my meal planning page for more ideas. Please contact me for some private lessons on meal planning in your own home. I can help you set up your kitchen so it's very functional for meal planning and help you set up healthy menus, take you shopping and prep the food, and finally portion it out for storage.

Until next time have a wonderful day and see ya soon..

October 14, Wednesday: When Did Life Become Serious?

Ok, I have to admit that I let life get a lot too serious the past year. Well I am glad that I realized it and better yet i had a lot of my friends and family tell me that I had become too serious. So what happened.?

Who knows when it all started but I know I have been trying to keep it all together since December of last year when I lost my job at Sharp. I was fortunate to have been able to stay with Sharp but I did lose my Lead position at Sharp. Having a 4 month old baby at the time didn't make things any easier. I believe I found myself in a very serious mode as most people would when they are faced with having to look for a job when there are none to be found. I was determined to stay positive and with the help of my wife , family and friends I was doing a good job. Or i was hiding it all very well.

A few months later my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer which took us all by surprize. Well, that's what life does, right? It just takes us by surprize. I was still looking for a job but fortunate to be doing per diem work at Sharp. Now it was time to help my dad with what he was going to embark on. My mom and dad actually seemed to take it all pretty well and with less thatn 2 weeks left of radiation treatment he is doing pretty good.

In the last 3 months my son had a few challenges that concerned both my wife and I and I think that was the last straw for me. I needed a time out.

Over the years, especially the past 5 years I have implemented many tools to help me manage my emotions, manage stress and anxiety, and just be happier. I really kept these tools close by and practiced them often because I really value having a good life. I would exercise on a routine basis, practice yoga and mindfulness meditation daily, hang out with friends, visit my counselor as needed, take walks in the afternoon, eat healthy, and journal from time to time.

But as life seemed to get more serious I found myself moving away from these things and spending more time trying to resolve these life events. As if they were all mine to resolve. That was a huge mistake.

So why am I writing all of this? I guess to let everyone know that I am back. Life is serious I know but I can be happy in the midst of chaos and I don't have to try and change any of it. What a relief. It is what it is..

Letting Go!! that is what i did. I have stopped hanging on to anything. I let my grip go and just am letting things be. Of course I am doing what I can but I decided to let things just take their course and be OK witg that.. Oh, what a good feeling..

Well, on to tomorrow.. the next moment. Have a good night and see ya all tomorrow.. God Bless..

October 7, Wednesday: Just posted an Article on the News Link

September 24, Thursday:

Inspiration and Motivation.

This was our topic tonight in class. There are so many things that inspire us each day and I really promote hanging on to these gems. People inspire me the most. The human potential! I love to hear stories about people doing amazing things whether it's athletics or philanthropy stuff. I enjoy hearing stories about people who turned their lives around for the better and now they are helping others. This is what keeps me going because I aspire to inspire others. I have a feeling we all would like to do that.. give back a little somthing to others and our community.

I wanted to expand a little on "sense of purpose" because i believe this is at the core of our motivation. Try and figure out what your purpose is.. Yes, be profound.. your life's purpose.. Do you know what it is? Now I want you to cultivate it and hold it close.. It will certainly serve you well.. Now if you don't have a purpose that comes to mind create one. What are you passionate about? What excites you? What are your hobbies? Start there and then see if you can attach it to a purpose.. Or create one.. do we need a purpse? Some people believe that we all have a purpose in life and i believe this as well.. The ones who are fortunate in life discover what it is and are able to really take life to a higher more exciting level.

Start to journal about it and see what you can come up with. realize that our purpose changes as we change and grow.. as we become more mature our purpose may change or become more focused..

Well.. good night and see you all next week in class.. vince..

September 23, Wednesday: I just put up the thursday night class schedule. It is a brand new curriculum and I am very excited to teach it. I also posted the Mindfulness in Plain English Book in PDF version on the Mind and Body link.

September 17, Thursday: Welcome to everyone in my Maintenance class.. It was wonderful to meet everyone tonight and I hope you all have a great week filled with healthy things to eat. Check back on your class schedule next week to allow me time to put it together...

September 14, Monday: I hope everyone had a great weekend.
I want to let you know that I put up several links tonight. check the News section for some archived articles that may interest you. I put several handouts for the Nutrition, fexibility and Resistance Training links. And finally I put up the class schedule for my Thursday night maintenance class.

I also wanted to thank Mary Lou and Ruth for stopping by Ask the Dietitian last week as that was a very nice treat.

September 8, Tuesday: Welcome to everyone in my class tonight. It was a pleasure to meet all of you and I am looking forward to a wonderful 15 weeks. I did post the Sugar Substitues article on the news link so check it out.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you as you can just call or email me anytime.

September 7, Monday: It has been a wonderful 2 weeks with my son and now I am heading back to work tomorrow. I am looking forward to starting a new 15 week Nutrition Class and Getting Back to work at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

I want to thank all of my family and friends for helping this past year with Eli and of course all the wonderful gifts you gave for his one year old birthday. OK.. he can't get spoiled.. maybe a little bit..

Now on to Health and Fitness.. I posted several meal plans on the Meal Planning Link so check those out. They are from the American Dietetic Association and provides a nice starting point.

I want to thank all those who have visited my site as I have had an overwhelming positive response to the new design and look. More is to come. Please keep checking back and as I put things up on the site I will make note of it here in my blogs..

Have a great week and be good to yourself.. Treat yourself to something fun this week like a massage..

September 1, Tuesday: I did my first Triathlon the other day and I have to tell you that it was tough. It was a sprint distance but my body was not prepared for the changes from swimming, biking and running. I gave it all I had and I was worn out at the end. It was a great challenge and I am looking forward to my next one which will be possibly this weekend. If anyone is interested in joining just give me a call or email me.

My son is turning one year's old. Here is a newsletter I put together. Enjoy. Eli's Newsletter