If you’re exercising regularly, you undoubtedly are noticing the benefits—better sleep and moods, maybe a few lost pounds. The last thing you want to do is derail your efforts or, worse, get yourself injured. Learn about five of the most common exercise mistakes people make and how you can avoid them.

Source: 5 Exercise Mistakes That Could Get You Hurt

Example:

1. Skipping Your Warm-up and Cool-down

Scenario: You feel you only have time for a short workout so you skip both your warm-up and cool-down.

Consequence: Your body is not adequately prepared for your workout so you underperform and create a greater potential for injury. You also create more soreness by not allowing your body to cool down properly when you’re finished. When it’s time for your next workout, you feel tired, sluggish, sore and ill prepared.

Solution: Instead of skipping the warm-up and cool-down, shorten your workout and increase the intensity. You can get a very effective workout for both muscular strength and cardiovascular health in only just 20 to 30 minutes. Add moderate-to-intense intervals and/or decrease your rest time between sets. But find a way to do five to 10 minutes of mobility (dynamic stretching) work prior to your workout and some static stretching after you’re done.

People look at food labels for different reasons. But whatever the reason, most people would like to know how to use this information more effectively and easily. The following label-building skills are intended to make it easier for you to use nutrition labels to make quick, informed food choices that contribute to a healthy diet.

(www.fda.gov/nutritionlabel)

1 – Start with the serving information at the top of the label.

Serving sizes are standardized to make it easier to compare similar foods.

The size of the serving on the food package influences the number of calories and the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. Pay attention to the serving size, especially how many servings there are in the food package. Then ask yourself, “How many servings am I consuming”?  

2 – Next, check total calories per serving.

Pay attention to the calories per serving and how many servings you’re really consuming if you eat the whole package. If you double the servings you eat, you double the calories and nutrients.

The next section of information on a nutrition label is about the amounts of specific nutrients in the product.

3 – Limit these nutrients.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting these nutrients. Based on a 2,000- calorie diet, no more than 11-13 grams of saturated fat, as little trans fat as possible, and no more than 1,500 mg of sodium.

4 – Get enough of these nutrients.

Make sure you get enough of beneficial nutrients such as: dietary fiber, protein, calcium, iron, vitamins and other nutrients you need every day.

5 – Quick guide to % Daily Value.

The % Daily Value (DV) tells you the percentage of each nutrient in a single serving, in terms of the, daily recommended amount. As a guide, if you want to consume less of a nutrient (such as saturated fat or sodium), choose foods with a lower % DV — 5 percent or less. If you want to consume more of a nutrient (such as fiber), seek foods with a higher % DV — 20 percent or more.

Here are more tips for getting as much health information as possible from the Nutrition Facts label:

Remember that the information shown in these panels is based on 2,000 calories a day. You may need to consume less or more than 2,000 calories depending upon your age, gender, activity level, and whether you’re trying to lose, gain or maintain your weight.

When the Nutrition Facts label says a food contains “0 g” of trans fat, but includes “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredient list, it means the food contains trans fat, but less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. So, if you eat more than one serving, you could quickly reach your daily limit of trans fat.

Learning how to read and understand food labels can help you make healthier choices.

A Girls Guide Gaining Muscle: Weight Training

When it comes to women and strength training, too many women still believe that lifting weights will make them look bulky. Of course, this couldn’t be further from the truth. This blog clears up some common misconceptions and offers proven principles and effective exercises that will help shape, tone and strengthen the female physique.

Source: A Girls Guide To Gaining Muscle: Weight Training

One of the biggest misconceptions about weight-lifting is this myth that it will cause women to “get big.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. On the other hand, many women who “lift” weights constantly pick up the same 5-pound dumbbells week after week and wonder why they don’t see any aesthetic changes in their physique. This could be for a number of reasons, but for the sake of this article, we will be discussing the impact of weight training.

Before we get into the “how” of weight training, let’s look at some proven principles and clear up some misconceptions.

1. Lift heavy.

To stimulate muscle growth, or hypertrophy, a stimulus must be placed on the muscle. As mentioned previously, women tend to typically stick with weights that they are comfortable using for a full three sets. However, a greater stimulus must be placed on the muscles to see any real changes. You need to get out of your comfort zone and put greater physiological demands on your muscles. Once you can make this paradigm shift in your mind, you will be able to make substantial progress in both your strength and muscle gains.

(Read More)

What is healthy aging? How does one effectively offset or slow the effects of aging? In other words, how does one age gracefully? Obviously many factors can influence how we age: genetics, environment, and lifestyle. In this blog, I would like to look at what the research points to as the biggest determinant of healthy aging, which is lifestyle and physical fitness. Several studies have clearly shown that physical fitness is an important predictor of both cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Also it is a good predictor of being able to live an independent life at old age.

However, before we delve into the subject of physical fitness, it is important to differentiate between three different but inter-related concepts: physical activity, physical exercise, and physical fitness. Physical activity refers to any body movement produced by muscle action that increases energy expenditure. Physical exercise refers to planned, structured, repetitive, and purposeful physical activity. Physical fitness is the capacity to perform physical exercise. Physical fitness makes reference to the full range of physical qualities, such as aerobic capacity, strength, speed, agility, coordination, and flexibility. Thus, daily exercise should be orientated towards increasing daily physical activity and improving physical fitness.

One aspect of improving physical fitness is aerobic exercise. The results of aerobic exercise, such as walking are very positive, especially for cardiovascular health. These improvements are independent of race, sex, age, and body mass index. The research shows that a program of regular aerobic exercise of three to six months duration can improve aerobic capacity by 15%–30%. A training frequency of 3–5 days a week is recommended, and the research indicates that it is preferable to avoid single, hard bouts of exercise once a week. Training intensity should be at some 55%/65%–90% of the maximum heart rate, or of the maximum reserve heart rate (maximum HR –rest HR) (ACSM 1998)

Strength training or resistance training is another aspect of improving physical fitness. Strength training has been shown to be the most effective method for developing skeletomuscular strength, and it is currently prescribed by many major health organizations for improving health and fitness. Research demonstrates that resistance training reduces the risk factors associated with coronary heart disease, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, and colon cancer; it prevents osteoporosis, promotes weight loss and weight maintenance, and likewise, improves dynamic stability, preserves functional capacity, and fosters psychological welfare. These benefits can be safely obtained when an individualized program is prescribed. In the American College of Sports Medicine’s position stand that, “resistance training should be an integral part of any adult fitness program and should be of sufficient intensity to enhance strength, muscular endurance, and maintain fat-free mass. Resistance training should be progressive in nature, individualized, and provide a stimulus to all the major muscle groups.” In essence, it is imperative that you do what it takes TODAY even eliciting the help of a professional in helping you reach a certain level of age-defying physical fitness.

The numbers are alarming! More than 25 million people in the United States have diabetes—that’s about one in 10 Americans. And according to recent government reports, rates are projected to surge over the next 40 years, affecting as many as one in three Americans by 2050. New research reveals three strategies that can help change the course of the disease:

Eat less fat.

It can help reduce your risk of developing diabetes, regardless of whether you lose weight. With Type 2 diabetes, your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin, or your cells ignore it; insulin is needed to use glucose for energy. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham put 69 overweight people at risk for diabetes on either a lower-fat or lower-carbohydrate diet; after 8 weeks, the group who reduced their fat intake to 27% of their overall diet had significantly higher insulin secretion, improved insulin sensitivity and better glucose tolerance. For a 1,600-calorie diet that equates to 48 daily grams of fat; for 2,200 calories, it’s 66 grams. To help reduce fat grams, choose lean meats and non- or low-fat dairy products, use unsaturated vegetable oils, eat more leafy vegetables and fruits and less foods that contain large amounts of saturated fat, like cakes and cookies.

Get a trainer.

A structured and supervised exercise program (that includes aerobics and strength training) helped people with Type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar levels more effectively than just getting advice about working out more, according to a recent review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Scientists also found that exercising for longer periods of time was better at bringing blood sugar levels down than exercising more intensively. Currently, exercise guidelines recommend that people with Type 2 perform at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and resistance training, such as weight lifting, three times a week.

Improve sleep habits.

Doing so may help you better manage your diabetes, says a new study in Diabetes Care. Researchers found that those with diabetes who suffered from insomnia had a 23% higher fasting blood glucose level, a 48% higher fasting insulin level and an 82% higher insulin resistance than the normal sleepers with diabetes. Some tips to sleep better: stick to regular bed and wake time, try relaxation techniques before bed (like taking a warm bath or listening to soothing music), keep your bedroom cool and dark, and skip exercise, caffeine and alcohol too close to bedtime.

Sources:
http://www.uab.edu/news/latest/item/1256-lowering-fat-intake-might-stave-off-diabetes-even-without-weight-loss

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/17/1790.abstract

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2011/03/13/dc10-1962.short?rss=1

We are what we eat. We’ve all heard that phrase before. It’s quite true. What we put into our bodies will make or break us, so to speak. In America, unlike some underdeveloped countries, we have food abundant. So why aren’t we making nutritiously sound choices?

Let’s take a closer look at what nutrition means. Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. Good nutrition starts with the basics, a well-rounded diet consisting of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean sources of protein. It’s that simple! Why complicate things by reading more into it than that?

The cornerstone of good health is a well-balanced diet combined with regular physical activity. It’s been well documented that poor nutrition leads to so many ailments from a reduced immunity system, to increased susceptibility to disease, to impaired physical and mental development, as well as to reduced productivity, and the list goes on and on. Why would anyone choose other than sound nutritious choices especially when it’s readily available to them?

It’s been proven that good nutrition cannot only make you healthier, feel better but also add years to your life. Currently, the typical American diet is low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar. As a result, more Americans than ever are overweight, obese, and at increased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.

The time is now to make the changes for a healthier, happier you. Here are some down-to-earth suggestions.

• Eat Your Veggies!
• Focus on Fruit.
• Read the Nutrition Facts Label.
• Control Portion Sizes.
• Control Calories and Get the Most Nutrients.
• Know Your Fats.
• Make Choices That Are Lean, Low fat, or Fat-free.
• Make Half Your Grains Whole.
• Lower Sodium.
• Limit Added Sugars.

Live on! Live Healthy!!

It’s easy to sit back and think about all the reasons not to exercise. I’m tired. It hurts. I can’t do much. It’s just too hard. The classic excuse I hear most often is, “I don’t have the time!”

It’s by far easier not to even contemplate the possibility of exercise. You convince yourself – why bother entertaining the idea? I won’t stick with it. The hardest part is making the conscious decision to make that change in your life. Once you can tell yourself that you must make a change. That you cannot go on like this! Then you just have to do it!

Write out or verbalize what you want to change. Once you’ve done this – then the commitment is born. It’s time now to put words into action. Start your day, first thing in the morning before you can talk yourself out of it, by lacing up those running shoes and step get out the door for the track or the gym. It’s that’s simple.

Seeing the improvements you can make once you’ve made that commitment to exercise on a regular basis will be an absolutely gratifying. After this triumphal first step, the rest is history! Just do it!!!

Another method to look at in establishing what is an ideal weight for you is to use body size. Using this method, some people find that they don’t need to lose as much weight as they first thought due to the size of their frame, others of course find that they are not in fact big boned and that they need to lose more weight than they had originally thought.

Measure the distance between the epicondyles (inside and outside projections of the elbow bone). Ideally, this is done with a broad-faced sliding caliper. If the proper caliper is not available, elbow breadth can be estimated using a metric ruler. Place the thumb and the index finger on the outside of each epicondyle and measure the distance between them with a ruler.

For FEMALES, if your height is 5’2″ or less:

small = wrist size less than 5.5 inches
medium = wrist size 5.5 to 5.75 inches
large = wrist size over 5.75 inches

If your height is 5’2″ to 5’5″:

small = wrist size less than 6 inches
medium = wrist size 6 to 6.25 inches
large = wrist size over 6.25 inches

If your height is 5’5″ or more:

small = wrist size less than 6.25 inches
medium = wrist size 6.25 to 6.5 inches
large = wrist size over 6.5 inches

For MALES, if your height is 5’5″ or more:

small = wrist size 5.5 to 6.5 inches
medium = wrist size 6.5 to 7.5 inches
large = wrist size over 7.5 inches
It’s easy to get consumed with losing weight and having the perfect body; however, whether you’re small, medium, or large boned, the resounding advice I give my clients is TO LOVE AND RESPECT YOURSELF! Now put into action those realistic goals, and happy exercising!

If you recall, in a recent blog, I discussed the most important qualities that make for a good personal trainer. The first quality being that a good trainer has the appropriate certifications. We have examined a host of certifications available in the field and what a nationally recognized certification entails and an excellent resource to compare the certification or lack thereof in the industry.

Now let’s discuss another important factor of what makes for a quality personal trainer. A quality personal trainer has an above reproach reputation and excellent rapport with colleagues and clients. That goes to say that the trainer must possess exceptional communication skills. Remember the trainer has to wear many hats! She’s a coach, cheerleader, and motivator to name just a few. Although, a qualified trainer has what it takes to be all the above, she knows she can a better trainer when she works in collaboration with other experts in the field. No helping profession works in isolation! They elicit the expertise and knowledge base of other reputable colleagues in the field. This team building emphasis goes a long way in providing the best for the client!

Strive to Eat a Balance Diet. A healthy, balanced diet includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low fat dairy products. These foods have the nutrients you need for health including potassium, calcium, vitamin D, and fiber.

Cut Back on Foods High in Saturated Fats, Added Sugars, and Salt. They include cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, sweetened drinks, pizza, and fatty meats like ribs, sausages, bacon, and hot dogs. Use these foods as occasional treats, not everyday foods.

Eat Smaller Portions. A helpful aid is to use a smaller plate, bowl, and glass. Likewise, if you portion out your foods before you eat, you’re less likely to eat too much or some cases, too little of something.

Understand Fats, Proteins & Carbohydrates. We all need fats, proteins & carbohydrates. If we neglect to balance these essential macronutrients – we set ourselves up for failure.

Understand Nutrition Facts. Knowing the nutrition facts on products is half the battle. For not all products are the same. Some are loaded with too much fats, sugars, sodium or calories. This topic will make for an excellent upcoming blog.

Choose Water Over Sweetened Drinks. A sure way to cut calories is by drinking water or unsweetened beverages. Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks are a major source of added sugar, and calories.

Be Active. Being physically active also helps you balance calories. Keep moving. Choose a physical activity that you enjoy. I personally enjoy running and strength training. But not everyone likes the same things.

Have Goals. Written, well thought out goals provide purpose and direction; it’s a road map to where you’re going. It provides real time indicators of progress and helps you stay on course; likewise, it can be a quite the motivator to see your plan in action.

Manage Stress. Stress is not necessarily bad but knowing how to manage it is the key. Therefore, have a plan to manage stress in your life, and a proven way to do that is through being physically active.

Have a Support Team. This is probably the most important element in improving your life. It’s one thing to know what to do and to try to make those healthy changes, but having someone on your side to make it all possible is what will make or break you. None of us can do it alone! So find the support you need that will keep you accountable and motivated.

A positive attitude is very important for successful weight loss and weight management. For you to lose weight permanently, you must make a commitment to gradually adopt a healthier way of life. You can control your weight. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories or burn more calories than you need. However, the best way to lose weight and be a healthier YOU is to eat fewer calories and exercise.

What exactly does this mean to eat fewer calories and exercise? How much do I exercise and how many calories should I eat? If there were a simple answer to this repeated question, I would provide it now. But the best answer for that question is IT DEPENDS. It depends on YOU! How much weight do you need to lose or would like to lose to feel better regarding your health and your looks or whatever the reason? It depends on YOU and YOUR GOALS.

If your doctor said that you needed to get to a healthier weight based on a body mass index, then that would be a realistic goal. Likewise, if you felt great at a certain weight, given that it was within the last decade, aim for that weight as a goal. Therefore, establishing a goal is a first step in the right direction; then sharing your goals with a significant other, someone who you know would help and support you while working toward your goals is the best second step.

Now I ask you, is your goal to lose weight only or to KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF? Of course, your goal may also be to gain more muscle tone, run faster, to get around better, etc., but to KEEP this new-found weight, this heighten level of fitness, or this exciting new look ought to be your ultimate goal. If it’s not, you will be battling the bulge, be a lifetime yo-yo dieter, and fighting an endless battle.

Thus for you to lose weight PERMANENTLY – you must make a commitment to YOURSELF to adopt a HEALTHIER way of life. If this seems like a hopeless challenge, please allow me to guide you.

I will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and accountability you will need to realize your goals and TO KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF! I am committed 100% to your success! Contact me today for a FREE consultation.

How does your lifestyle impact your health? What I mean by lifestyle is the behavior and activities that make up your daily life. Your choices and lifestyle make a big difference to your overall health. Even if certain conditions like heart disease runs in your family, you can do a lot to change any probable outcome. Some genes lead to disease. “But for most people, a healthy lifestyle trumps inherited risk,” says cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones.

With heart disease, more than 100 types of genes may play a small role in a person’s risk, Lloyd-Jones says. “But by far the biggest factor is lifestyle.”

Your daily habits — such as what you eat, how active you are, and not smoking strongly affects your heart health. Those are up to you, no matter what’s in your family’s medical history.

Today, with an astounding number of reports about increasing obesity rates, diseases and conditions related to being overweight and out-of-shape, it is impossible to ignore the importance of fitness and healthy living. Health professionals attribute cancer, diabetes and mental issues such as depression to deficiencies in fitness and health.

Why then do so many American suffer from ill health because of their lifestyle choices? A common excuse is I don’t have enough time to exercise. We need, however, to make it a priority to take care of ourselves.

If finding the time to exercise is a challenge for you, concentrate for starters at getting small workouts in throughout the day. If your job takes the majority of your time, consider taking 3-10 minute breaks and walk at moderate intensity, where you break a little sweat and are slightly out of breath. Taking breaks are not only good for physical health, but also for mental health. You will go back to work feeling refreshed and satisfied.

If home life consumes most of your time, consider doing squats or other muscle toning exercises while doing housework. If you work from home, use a stability ball instead of a chair to sit on. Walk on the treadmill during conference calls. These are just a few suggestions.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week to achieve the health benefits, maintain current weight, and/or prevent weight gain. And for those who are overweight or obese, the ACSM recommends getting 250 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week. Results in studies have shown that weight loss can be significant. Just a heads up: moderate intensity is where you are out of breath a little but you can hold a conversation while performing the exercise.

However, the importance of providing our bodies with the proper nutrition cannot be overstated. Simply put, the human body requires the appropriate balance of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fat on a daily basis to function optimally and disease-free. In other words, we are what we eat, a topic of an earlier blog.

In my recent blog, I referenced, a book called the “The China Study” one of the best selling books on nutrition by T. Colin Campbell and his son, Thomas Colin Campbell II. The study examined the relationship between the consumption of animal products and illnesses such as cancers of the breast, prostate, and large bowel, diabetes, coronary heart disease, obesity, autoimmune disease, osteoporosis, degenerative brain disease, and macular degeneration.

“The China Study” is a China Cornell Oxford Project, a 20-year study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Cornell University, and the University of Oxford. The study examines the mortality rates, diets, and lifestyles of 6,500 people in 65 rural counties in China, and concluded that people with a high consumption of animal-based foods were more likely to suffer chronic disease, while those who ate a plant-based diet were the least likely.

The study was conducted in China because it has a genetically similar population that tends to live in the same way in the same place and eat the same foods for their entire lives.

In short, the authors conclude that people who eat a plant based /vegan diet, which avoids animal products such as beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, and milk, will minimize or reverse the development of chronic diseases. They also recommend adequate amounts of sunshine to maintain sufficient levels of Vitamin D, and Dietary supplements of Vitamin B12 in case of complete avoidance of animal products and to minimize the usage of vegetable oils. They criticize Low Carb diets, such as the Atkins Diet, which include restrictions on the percentage of Calories derived from complex Carbohydrates.

Again, the overwhelming evidence suggests that the most healthful diets set aside animal products and also reduce fats in general, while including large amounts of vegetables and fruits. Eliminating meat and dairy products from your diet is a powerful step in disease prevention!

The people who succeed are the ones who strive to achieve great things.

They are no smarter or more capable than others.

They have simply decided to make the best of what is available to them.

Those who achieve great things encounter challenges, obstacles and problems, just as everyone else does.

Achievers, however, have simply chosen to work their way through the difficult challenges, rather than be sidetracked by them.

Those who achieve great things also experienced their share of setbacks and disappointments just like everyone else.

They simply decide to refocus and take a renewed determination.

Instead of finding discouragement, from disappointment, those who achieve great things have exactly the same amount of time available in each day as everyone else.

They simply are committed to making the most of each moment.

Those who achieve great things are not any different than anyone else except they decide to do it. They are committed to succeed.

They follow through with persistent and consistent action.

In this way, ordinary people realize quite extraordinary levels of achievement, and you can do it too!

We have all heard this saying, “we are what we eat.” But the truth of matter is we are what we eat and so are our children. Our young impressionable children follow in our footsteps. They eat what we feed them. Our diet is the same diet of our parents to a greater or lesser extent. It’s the culture we grew up in. The point here is what we feed our children can be beneficial or detrimental to them and their children.

According to research, understanding children’s eating attitudes and behavior is important in terms of children’s health. Evidence indicates that dietary habits acquired in childhood persist through to adulthood. (Kelder, 1994; Nicklas, 1995) It’s not just one parent who’s responsible but both parents set the pattern for the family’s lifestyle. If mom and dad are oatmeal-and-hit-the-gym types, their kids likely are, too. Likewise, if parents are more the chips-and-TV type, the kids will do the same. Parents expect their kids to do things, like exercise that they themselves don’t do. You can’t lie on the couch watching TV, snacking on potato chips, yet tell your child to go outside and get some exercise. It just doesn’t work that way.

Any parent can be a good role model for children’s nutrition. Even if you’re overweight and having trouble losing it, it’s still possible to role model a healthy lifestyle for your child. Try these tips at home:

• Buy fruits and vegetables rather than snacks. Studies show that if parents emphasize how important these are in the diet, children will eat them more often – compared to parents who are more about relaxed it.
• Pass along the basics of portion control. Kids also must learn to stop eating – what nutritionists call portion control. In our culture, we tend to lose sight of the feeling of fullness. The ‘clean your plate’ club overrides the natural cues a child has to stop eating when they are full. It prompts them to eat when there is no reason to eat.
• Studies show that when parents make the effort be model good nutrition for their children, it really does work. One study focused on 114 overweight families, with kids aged 6-12 years old. Like their parents, the kids were overweight. As parents took measures to get into shape, so did their overweight kids. In fact, both parents and kids had similar positive results in weight loss over the five-year study period.

Additionally, much research also shows that many children’s diets in the Western world are unsatisfactory. For example, the Bogalsua Heart Study in the US showed that the majority of 10 year olds exceeded the American Heart Association dietary recommendations for total fat, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.

With the evidence presented, what can be said about modeling good healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyle? That modeling was found to have a clear influence on how children both think and behave around food, with consistent associations found

between parent’s and children’s eating behaviors, as well as, attitudes. In sum, it goes to say, “We are what we eat and so are our children”.

Adopt a positive attitude. If you start with I know I’m going to fail, because I always do, you will. Make a conscious effort to be positive in all things you do. Tell yourself that you will stay positive throughout the day.

Make gradual changes. Decide on what changes you would like and make one change at a time. Try to focus first on one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into a healthy positive habit. If you’re in the habit of eating as soon as you get home at night, instead keep walking shoes in the garage or entryway and take a quick spin around the block before going inside. If you have a can of soda at lunchtime every day, have a glass of water two days a week instead. Starting with small, painless changes helps establish the mentality that healthy change is not necessarily painful change.

Eat breakfast. Did your know that your mood is actually affected by the things that you do and eat? In order to jump start your day and prepare your mind and body for the busy day ahead, you need to have a power breakfast. Make sure that you eat something healthy. Whole grains, protein, and fruits can surely give you the nutrients that you need to do the things that you need to accomplish for the day.

Eat your vegetables. Shoot for five servings of vegetables a day — raw, steamed, or stir-fried. A diet high in vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of developing cancer of the lung, colon, breast, cervix, esophagus, stomach, bladder, pancreas and ovary. Reach for the boldest color vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, grapes and leafy greens for they are packed with many powerful phytonutrients.

Set a 5-meal ideal. What, when and how much you eat can keep both your metabolism and your energy levels steadily elevated, so you’ll have more all-day energy. Five meals will help you manage your weight, keep your cool, maintain your focus and avoid cravings.

Snack sensibly. Grab fruit instead of a chocolate bar or other junk foods. Fruits can surely wake you up in the middle of the day, whereas a bar of chocolate will just give you energy spike for a few minutes. So, you will end up feeling even more tired and sleepy.

Incorporate exercise throughout the day. Get up from your desk often to take a walk break. Take stairs when possible. Establish a before or after work exercise routine. Did you know that daily exercise has shown to reduce all of the biomarkers of aging? This includes improving eyesight, normalizing blood pressure, improving lean muscle, lowering cholesterol and improving bone density. If you want to live well and live longer, you must exercise!

Drink Plenty of Water. Your body depends on water for survival. Did you know that water makes up more than half of your body weight? Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. Water is essential for good health. There are different recommendations for water intake each day. Most people have been told they should be drinking 6 to 8, 8-ounce glasses of water each day. This is a reasonable goal.

Get at good night’s rest. It’s important that you establish a regular sleep pattern. Strive to go to bed and wake up at the same time. And if you are have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, trying darkening your room more and turn your clock away from you. Also, a “small” bedtime snack, such as, a whole grain cereal with nonfat milk, oatmeal or chamomile tea has shown to aid the body and mind into sleep mode.

What makes for a qualified person in any vocation? Before I attempt to answer that question, let me tell my story of why I chose the health and fitness industry. Here I was after earning a hard-earned graduate degree in business, and working a decent, respectable job in my area of study, yet I wasn’t happy. I had no passion for the vocation I had chosen. I’d heard of people who were happy with their job and that it wasn’t even work for them; it was something they very much enjoyed. They were having fun. They didn’t mind going to work. They were doing exactly what they were truly passionate about. I wanted that too – a job I could be passionate about!

So I asked myself, “What was it that I really enjoyed? “ After taking a closer look at how I spent my time (outside the job, I really didn’t like) and asking those who were closet to me – in other words, who knew me well – I then discovered that my love, my passion, a job I knew I would enjoy doing for years to come that would not only benefit me but others was in the area of health and nutrition. I believe wholeheartedly that we are to remain active as well as to enjoy our life to its upmost! Thus, my renewed career focus was to be the best health and fitness professional I could possibly be. I did my homework and discovered exactly what it entailed to be recognized as the best in the industry.

The questions you need to ask when seeking a qualified health & fitness professional are:

(1) Does he have the appropriate certifications?

(2) Does she have an excellent reputation in the industry, as well as, an outstanding reputation with clients?

(3) Does she have overall good communication skills?

In addition, a personal trainer should be educated and certified through a reputable fitness organization. Remember this person’s job is to assess your fitness level, set up a program for you and keep you motivated for this individual’s job is to safely push you past your comfort level–something difficult for you to do on your own.

Now where do you go to find a “qualified trainer”, an individual who will educate, motivate and inspire you to reach for the sky; an individual that knows his/her stuff that will protect, motivate and get you the results and lifestyle change you so desperately want! My recommendation is to do your research before you make that kind of investment. It can be costly!

A good place to start is the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. The NCCA accredits programs that meet its standards.NCCA accredited programs is the only place on the Internet where you can compare accredited personal training certification programs. There, you will soon discover that not all trainers are equal when you compare accreditations and standards in the industry.

In short, there are over 400 organizations in the U.S. that purport to certify personal fitness trainers. Of that number, about a handful are considered legitimate by most professionals. Among the most respected are the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The better organizations have specific requirements based on tested and practical knowledge, mandatory retesting at renewal periods, and continuing education.

Again, my recommendation is to take heed and do your research! Don’t assume just because a personal trainer works at a fitness center that they carry the credentials they boast. Ask to see their credentials; write the name as it appears on the certificate and the certificate number. Then do your homework and call on the certifying organization(s), for they will be more than happy to provide you that information. In short, seek and you shall find a happy, healthy fitness journey with the right professional for you!