Transcript Dorothy`s Top Ten Ways to Improve Personal Wellness for Longevity

Wellness for Life
Dorothy’s Top Ten Ways to
Improve Personal Wellness
for
Longevity and Quality of Life
Dorothy H. Wood, Ph.D.
10. Pay a Visit to the Doctor
Make sure you start off with a clean
slate; have a physician give you the
green light to begin a wellness
program
I’m sure they’ll be delighted!
9. Use Good Judgement (!)
Do you always wear your seatbelt?
Do you smoke?
Do you drink more than 2 alcoholic drinks / day?
Do you multitask while driving?
Do you get enough sleep?
Do you wear sunscreen?
8. Shop the Periphery
Have you ever noticed what’s around the
outside of the grocery store?
If you remember to shop the periphery instead of
the aisles, you’ll load your cart with vegetables,
fruits, good breads, fish, high quality meats and
dairy
Remember, the less packaging, the better the
product
Empty calories vs. good nutrition
Losing weight is simply a matter of
consuming less energy
(in the form of food)
than you expend
(in the form of physical activity)
You could do that by eating five jelly biscuits a
day but would it be healthy?
Definitely not!
7. Sort Out the Carbohydrates
What’s with all this Atkins and South Beach business?
Do carbohydrates really make a difference?
Absolutely!
Controlling blood sugar is not just for diabetics
Good Carbs
vs
Bad Carbs
Fruits
High fructose
corn syrup
Grains
Refined sugar
Vegetables
Refined flour
Starchy
vegetables
6. Read Labels
When eating prepared foods – become an avid
label reader
It will take you longer to grocery shop at first
Your body will thank you later
Food labels – are they really useful?
Be mindful of the portion size
Calories vs calories from fat
The ‘bad guys’
Look for high fiber
The more of these the better
The greater the gap between ‘Total
Carbohydrate’ and ‘Sugars’ the better
5. Lift Something
Muscle = Youth
It is NEVER too late to begin a weight lifting regime
This can range anywhere from self-resistance
exercises at home to joining a gym and engaging a
personal trainer
Exercises may include:
• Toning exercises without weights
• Compound exercises (push-ups / sit-ups)
• Pilates
• Modified weight exercises
• Weight room
4. Control Those Portions
One of the greatest downfalls of the
American diet is the lack of portion
control
If an overweight individual cut every
meal in half, they would still eat enough
calories to sustain their bodies
Your plate should look like this…….
Fresh or
lightly
sauteed in
olive oil –
you can’t
get enough!
High quality
for mental
alertness
(more at
lunchtime –
less at night)
Protein
Vegetables
and/or Fruits
Carbohydrate
Low on the
glycemic
index to
avoid ‘crash
and burn’
3. Start Smart
5 easy ways to cut high, empty calories and bad
fats from your diet
1.
Absolutely no regular soda (drink water)
2.
Cut out mayonnaise
3.
Olive oil and vinegar on salads (no bottled dressing)
4.
Reduce amount of cheese consumed* (not cottage)
* Not empty calories, but very high in animal fat
5.
Cut out alcoholic beverages (1 glass of red wine OK)
2. Become a Fat Connoisseur
Despite a bad rap, fats are essential to
our diet
however
Not all fats are created equal
Good Fats
Naturally occurring fats:
Nuts
Olive oil
Avocados
Fish oils
Butter
vs
Bad Fats
Partially hydrogenated
fats
Margarine
Fried foods
Refined oils
Most polyunsaturated
fats
In a healthy nutritional program, approximately 30% of
total calories can come from fats: 10% as saturated fat
Saturated fats – found in meat and dairy
• Increase total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
• Cause heart disease
limit intake
of these
Monounsaturated fats – found in olive and peanut oils, nuts/nut butter
• Do not raise cholesterol
Eat mainly
• Keeps HDL (good) cholesterol raised
these
Polyunsaturated fats
• Omega-3 found in fatty fish, walnuts, canola oil
• Protect against heart attack
• Omega-6 found in corn oil, soybean oil
• Promote inflammation
good
bad
Then there are those you want to avoid altogether…
Hydrogenated / Partially Hydrogenated Fats
(Trans Fats)
These are man made fats and should be avoided
as much as possible
They are polyunsaturated (liquid) fats that have
been made solid at room temperature by adding
hydrogen
It loses the good traits of a polyunsaturated fat and
takes on the bad qualities of a saturated fat
Not listed on the food label on many food yet – you
need to check the ingredients
Reprinted with permission: S. Joseph esq.; www.bantransfats.com
And the #1 way
to promote
wellness in your
life is......
1. Move, Move, Move!
Get that blood flowing a little faster
This should be something that you enjoy,
not a form of torture!
There are many ways to improve cardiovascular
health; incorporate a variety to stimulate your heart
3 Main Methods:
Exercising to Lose Weight:
Exercise at a low intensity for long periods (1 hour +)
Exercising to Promote a Healthy Heart:
Exercise 5 days a week for ~ 20 – 30 min at moderate
intensity
Exercising to Improve Cardiovascular Endurance:
Higher intensity (sweating and 60-80% maximal HR)
Aerobic (cardiovascular) exercises include:
 Walking / hiking
 Bike riding
 Running / jogging
 Golf
 Playing competitive sports
 Ice skating / rollerblading
 Skiing
 Dancing
 Playing with children!
IMPORTANT
You should NOT eat less than your body
requires to operate
 Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and
don’t eat fewer calories than that
 Eat the right amount, then exercise off
calories for a net loss overall
I like to call it my ‘Burn off your Breakfast’
program
Helpful hints to make your program work for you
 Make exercising fun – workout with your partner or a
friend, and do something you enjoy
 Beware of ‘low fat’ or ‘fat free’ foods – they’re often
loaded with sugar
 Beware of ‘low carb’ foods – they’re often loaded with
fat!
 Water, water, water
 Keep a large bag of almonds with you – they’re the
world’s best snack food
 Eat breakfast always and NEVER skip meals
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