Your Health Coach

Sleep and skin

2008-03-04T09:29:00.001-05:00

Most people require at least 7 hours of sleep per night.
It is during this time that your body produces collagen
and elastin; two proteins which help your skin stay smooth
and look younger.

DANGEROUS BACTERIAL

2007-10-17T13:44:00.000-04:00

DANGEROUS BACTERIAL

There has been a lot of news lately about a strain of the bacterium, methicillian-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In the past it has been found mostly in hospitals and has been resistant to antibiotics. The strain has now moved from hospitals to the community. This strain, while less deadly than that found in hospitals is still dangerous. It has been found in gyms and health clubs. What can you do to avoid it? Be careful. Do not share towels, use a clean towel over workout mats, and wipe down the equipment with the cleanser provided. If you have any signs of skin infection that do not heal, see your doctor. Again, be careful and wash your skin.

Coffee

2007-09-19T11:02:00.001-04:00

We like our coffee and it comes in many forms. Coffee is virtually fat free and calorie free and it has antioxidants. However, the story does not end there. We like our coffee not plain, but as a grande, mocha latte. Many of these specialty coffees have as many calories as a full meal. Even with 2% milk the calories and fat are still high. If you are having trouble with weight loss and are stopping for a specialty coffee everyday, think about the calories. Remember, weight loss of two pounds a week requires you to burn 1000 more calories than you take it. Not easy if your coffee has 400-500 calories.

Weight Training

2007-08-20T15:48:00.000-04:00

Unless you are a body builder, you only need strength training twice a week for each muscle group. Make sure you do 8 to 12 repetitions and one set is enough. Make sure the weight challenges you. If you are older or frail you might want to lower the weight and do 10 to 15 repetitions. Make sure to take at least a day off between the weight training. On off days you can do cardio training such as walking 10,000 steps a day.

Good Cholesterol

2007-01-31T10:35:00.000-05:00

There is good cholesterol and then there is bad cholesterol. LDL is the bad and HDL is the good. You want to keep your HDL high! By keeping it high you help lower the bad LDL. Low HDL also greatly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

According to the University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, it is estimated that for every 1mg/dl increase in HDL, there is a drop in the risk of cardiovascular disease by 2 to 3 per cent. HDL over 60 mg/dl is considered protective, even though it adds to your total cholesterol. So always get your cholesterol readings broken down and not just as a total number.

An Easy and Cheap Exercise Program

2007-01-09T16:07:00.000-05:00

An easy and cheap exercise program is walking. By walking an average of 10,000 steps per day you will meet the government standards for exercise. This will help you to be healthier in all ways (weight loss, lower blood pressure, etc.) But how do you measure these 10,000 steps? The easiest way is to wear a pedometer. However all pedometers are not the same. The cheaper the pedometer, the less accurate it probably is and may be off by as much as 50%. In tests only 26% of cheap pedometers got an acceptable rating. According to the September 2006 issue of TUFT's HEALTH and NUTRITION LETTER, the Yamax Digiwalker SW-200 is the "gold standard." It cost about $20.00. So for $20.00 and a little time you can be on the road to a Healthier You!

Fat Issue

2006-06-14T10:49:00.000-04:00

As Americans we are totally focused on the fat issue. The problem is we do not look at anything else and as I once heard, you become what you think about. We are thinking about fat and are becoming fatter. There is more to weight loss than cutting out fat. Many times when manufactures cut fat they add sugar to keep the taste. Read the labels! Keep your fat low but also keep your sugar intake low. Look for foods with less than 15 grams of sugar per serving.

Recently I looked at a container of yogurt that was 99% fat free. It had 15 fat calories, but 41 grams of sugar for a total calorie count of 240. I compared this to a carb and sugar control yogurt that had 25 fat calories, but 3 grams of sugar and 60 total calories.

Remember Fat free is not calorie free.

Exercise

2006-03-31T15:04:00.000-05:00

Exercise is a big part of your weight loss program. There is a lot of talk about low intensity exercise as opposed to high intensity exercise. Low intensity for weight loss and high intensity for cardio improvement. One thing we forget is a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Assume for a moment that at low intensity exercise you are burning 90 per cent of the calories from fat and you are burning 300 calories an hour. That means you are burning 270 calories per hour from fat. Okay, now assume that at high intensity exercise you are burning 50 per cent of your calories from fat and you are burning 700 calories an hour. That means that you are burning 350 calories per hour from fat. Which is bigger, 270 or 350? The more calories you burn, the more weight you can shed. To see how long it will take to shed a pound, go to www.healthylifestylecoach.com and look at the calculators.

Breakfast Cereal

2006-03-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

People love cereal. Unfortunately, not all cereals are healthy, even though they may seem like they are. Apart from the general rule that you should avoid any breakfast cereal that turns your milk a fluorescent shade, there are a few things you should know when picking one out.
While some cereals may seem healthy because they have the words "grain" or "fiber" in their names and the picture on the box makes them look like they contain wholesome ingredients, don't be fooled. Many of these are packed with trans fats (which raise LDL -- or "bad" cholesterol -- levels and increase the risk of coronary heart disease), refined grains, sugar, and salt. For example, Kellogg's Mueslix and Post Fruit & Fibre both contain trans fats, while Rice Krispies and Special K are made from refined grains (as opposed to whole grains).

More studies

2006-03-08T16:12:00.000-05:00

Studies, studies. Every study seems to say something that contradicts the previous study and the following study. Why? I do not know, but you just have to take them and use common sense. After all, this was a controlled study and life is anything but controlled.
A recent study says that fiber may not prevent colorectal cancer. The key word is "MAY." The study does say that eating process meats, like hot dogs, sausage and lunch meats, probably does increase your risk of colon cancer. Like anything, these items should be eaten in moderation.

2006-02-28T13:28:00.000-05:00

Most people take better care of their pets than they do of themselves. We take our pets for a check up every year. We buy special expensive food that is formulated for just the pet, such as cat food for senior adult, indoor cats that will prevent hairballs and give them more energy. That is fine for the pet, but what about ourselves? Do you get an annual check ups? Do you go to the dentist regularly? Do you get those tests for colon cancer or breast cancer? DO you eat low fat foods or do you eat processed meat such as hot dogs and ham? Do you take vitamins and exercise or do not worry about it until you are in bed and missing work or missing your children's lives? If you had a Kentucky Derby race horse would you treat it like you treat yourself? Remember your billion dollar body is the only one you have. There will be a lot of horses in the Derby and all are treated like the million dollar horse they are.

Your vitamins

2006-02-21T14:04:00.000-05:00

In June of 2002 the JAMA , finally after over 30,000 studies and papers, declared that every adult should take a multivitamin, every day. That is just the beginning. The next step is picking out your vitamin. Every vitamin is not the same. Does your vitamin company have real scienctist on site and test all the incoming ingredients to make sure there are no pesticides or herbicides? Does your vitamin company rely on vendors for quality assurance or does it conduct its own tests? Is every bottle the same? Is there a standard process for manufacturing? Are the product claims substaniated by clinical tests? Make sure you get your money's worth . Make sure your product is a quality product, after all it is your body and life!

Welcome to Your Health Coach

2005-09-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Your Health Coach blog. How is your health? Do you need help to reach your health goals? I am a professional coach who specializes in health.