Health Talk Today

Recommended Reading

“Find Your Strongest Life” by Marcus Buckingham

"Find Your Strongest Life" by Marcus Buckingham

Oprah Winfrey is featuring Marcus Buckingham and his new book “Find Your Strongest Life.” I took the test. It reinforced some things I knew about myself and pointed out some things I didn’t know.  When you take the test, you’ll find out where your strengths are.

Links:
Download Chapter 5 of “Find Your Strongest Life” from Oprah’s site.
Follow Marcus on Twitter
Connect with Marcus on Facebook

Marilyn Kvasnok

Top 10 Weight Loss Secrets

Losing weight isn’t so hard if you do it a little at a time. Find a sensible plan that fits your needs and follow it. Sounds simple, but simple isn’t always easy.

I found a free ebook that sounds like it has solid information. I’ve just skimmed the book and plan to read it soon.

Free download: The Hacker’s Diet and the spreadsheets.

Top 10 Weight Loss Secrets

  1. Surprise! There’s no secret. There’s no shortcut to losing weight. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need to change your lifestyle.
  2. Eat less and do more. You gain weight when you take in more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in.
  3. Keep a food journal. Knowing what you eat and seeing it in black and white is the first step to making good food choices. A food journal can be as simple as paper and pencil. Or as sophisticated as a computer program. I use CinchCoach as part of my weight management system.
  4. Make eating an event. Plan what you’re going to eat, prepare a plate or bowl, sit and enjoy your meal or snack.
  5. Chew, Chew, Chew. Take small bites and chew well. This helps break down the food. And the saliva starts to break it down. This will help your digestive system.
  6. Find a support system. This could be a spouse, sister-in-law or trusted friend. Make sure it’s someone you can confide in and who will give you encouragement. Stay away from negative people. You don’t need to be nagged or feel like a failure.
  7. Join a support group. Find a local meeting or start one. Or join an online support group.
  8. Walk 10,000 steps a day. Wear a pedometer to monitor your walking. If you’re sedentary, you may only walk 2,000-3,000 steps a day.
  9. Park your car away from the store or building. Walking the extra steps burns more calories. find other ways to add more exercise like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walk 15 minutes with a friend before eating lunch or take a Sunday morning bike ride thru the park.
  10. Think thin. Keep a positive attitude. Don’t expect to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. About 2 pounds a week is a good target. To lose one pound, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than what you eat.
Marilyn Kvasnok

Top 10 Reasons to Quit Smoking

Smoking – It’s one subject that conjurs up very strong feelings. Smokers believe they have a right to smoke. And non-smokers believe they have a right to smoke-free air. The non-smokers are winning, but it hasn’t been easy. Today, not only are public buildings smoke-free, there’s a no smoking ban around the perimeter of those buildings.

I can finally enjoy a meal at a smoke-free restaurant. When the hostess used to ask “smoking or non?” I would always answer “A non-smoking section in a restaurant is like a no-pee zone in a pool.” If I walked into a restaurant and smelled cigarette smoke, I would leave – But not before telling the hostess or manager why.

And now, I’m seeing signs outside public buildings warning that there’s no smoking around the building. I no longer have to walk thru a cloud of smoke to enter a medical building. And who was outside smoking? All the employees, of course!

So, what’s a non-smoking advocate to do? Speak up! Ban together and educate everyone I can about the dangers of smoking. I found another non-smoking advocate.

Joseph P. Weaver is the winner of the 2002 American Cancer Society’s Great American Smoke-out Award, for leadership in building a smoke-free environment in New York City. A former neuroscience researcher, Joe has studied yoga, reflexology, herbology, and meditation in Nepal and around the world, and has helped thousands of people quit smoking.

In his book, The Tao of Quitting Smoking, Mr. Weaver lists 100 Reasons to Quit Smoking. Here are my favorite Top 10, taken from his list:

  1. Because you can! (#1)
  2. Quitting decreases the overall risk of death (all causes combined) by 50 percent in fifteen years as compared to continuing smokers. (#2)
  3. Toxic tobacco smoke, a.k.a. secondhand smoke, harms others. (#26)
  4. Nicotine—a poisonous, addictive, drug, has been linked to cancer. (#34)
  5. You won’t feel like a leper in public. More than 70 percent of people don’t smoke. (#49)
  6. You will be a winner because you finally took control of your addiction. (#58)
  7. Because you know that you want to quit. (#69)
  8. Children tend to imitate their parents. (#84)
  9. Not socially acceptable anymore. (#87)
  10. Quit for yourself. (#100)

So, is there life after cigarettes? You bet! You’ll feel better, breathe better, look better, smell better and enjoy what you eat. And everyone around you will love you for taking control of your life.

Links:
Are You Still Smoking?
The Long Term Health Effects of Smoking Tobacco
The Smoker’s Body (Warning: It’s gross)
Quit Smoking Resources
Where There’s Smoke . . .

Marilyn Kvasnok

What Does It Mean To Be Green?


Kermit the Frog used to sing “It isn’t easy being green.” But, he was singing from a very personal viewpoint. Today, everyone is talking about being green. But, what does it mean. Probably, different things to different people.

For every product you use around the house, there’s a green substitute. I’m finding products that work as well – or better – than my old Clorox, Pinesol and Tide. Every time I find a non-toxic cleaner, I take another step toward “living green.” I’m not only feeling better about doing the right thing for my family and the planet, I’m really feeling better! I didn’t even realize how those old cleaners were affecting me – itchy, stuffed up, sneezing and sometimes worse. And who knows what the long term effects will be? I’m no longer willing to be part of that test group.


Green Goes with Everything by Sloan Barnett is a common sense approach to making these changes.

Sloan is a Today Show contributor, the Green Editor for KNTV in San Francisco, a wife and mother. When her young son was developing asthma, she found the cause to be the cleaners she was using. Watch the video below to hear Sloan’s story . . .

Marilyn Kvasnok

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