Happy New Year!

Well here we are - 2010, today is the day that most everyone goes back to work or school and life's routine is restored. The new year is a time to reflect on where we are and where we want to be. So I am here to say, clean out your cupboards and throw away whatever cookies remain from your holiday celebrations.

I, of course, made some pretty hefty healthy eating resolutions at the beginning of 2009 that I kept for a while but have definitely strayed from this holiday season, but that is not going to stop me this year. I won't bore you with the details, but I am back on track as of today. In fact, I have already enjoyed a delicious bowl of granola for breakfast vow to eat up all of the fruits and vegetables delivered to my door a couple days ago.

I will also be recommitting to the gym and my workout this week. My kids don't start school again until tomorrow so that is the first day of the rest of my exercise routine. I hope you start yours too. Remember how great walking is? Try to do it 3-5 times per week.

And lets not forget about water. I feel a little puffy from the salty foods I have eaten over the holidays. I am also recommitting to water, drinking my eight glasses a day.

So, whatever your 2010 goals are, I wish you luck. Karla and I are looking forward to a great year of blogging and learning more about what we can all do to Live a Whole Life.

- Shannan

Gratitude and Health

Do you have an attitude of gratitude? I know that I need to be reminded every once in a while to count my blessings. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here is some information on how to actually practice gratitude to promote a more positive and healthy outlook.

Good Health and Gratitude
There are many variables affecting good health, but the notion that simple acts of gratitude, appreciation, and thankfulness — all free and relatively easy to implement — can have a positive impact on health is intriguing and merits attention.

What is Gratitude?
An International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) Newsletter article of April 2008 described gratitude as an "orientation towards noticing and appreciating the positive in the world."

People naturally take for granted the routine things of life, becoming immune and unappreciative of the positives of daily life. Though this adaptation guards the senses against overload, it can also deprive a person of the ability to focus upon and appreciate a sunny day, a spring breeze, and a child's laughter. These are all opportunities for gratitude and an incumbent boost to good health.

Gratitude Exercises for Good Health
The following gratitude exercises are easy to do and will help you maintain an attitude of gratitude.

Gratitude Letter – Write a letter of gratitude to someone who has been a positive influence in your life describing how you were affected and what it meant to you. For even greater benefit deliver the letter in person.

Three Good Things – At the end of each day, recall three good things that happened that day, considering even the smallest positive event.

You at Your Best – Reflect on an experience that demonstrated you at your very best. Write about it and describe your feelings.

Novel Use of Signature Strengths – Understand your special skills and abilities often called your signature strengths. Each day find a new way to utilize one of your strengths.

Three Questions – At the end of each day, ask yourself these three questions: "What has surprised me?," "What has touched me?" and "What has inspired me?"

Happy Thanksgiving!

- Shannan

Get Organized - Lower Stress

Do you have a closet, cupboard, room that drives you crazy and stresses you out everytime you open the door? I do. And now that the kids are back in school I am committed to getting organized. Establishing order around your home not only looks good, it makes you feel good. You can seriously cut down on stress and frustration by simply taking the time to organize an annoying space. I am going to start with my kitchen pantry.

Soothing Surroundings are Nurturing:

Being in a space characterized by order, tranquility, and a physical manifestation of your tastes, on the other hand, can soothe you and help release stress. (This is how marketers sell products from catalogs so efficiently; they are really ‘selling’ the sense of peace that comes from the beauty of the picture as much as they’re selling the products contained in that picture of a beautiful room. This is why lingerie catalogs use exotic surroundings as well as beautiful women to sell real-life women bras and panties!) Coming home to an orderly home can help you feel like you’re entering a sanctuary away from the stresses of the outside world.

Organized Homes Save Time, Money and Other Resources:

A messy, disorganized home can cost you more than just your inner peace. If you don’t have a ‘home’ for all of your belongings, you spend more time trying to put things away when you’re cleaning up, and waste time looking for items when you need them. If you don’t have an organized system for filing your bills and other important papers, you may end up paying things late, which results in fees and additional stress. There are many other ways your mess may be draining your resources that you don’t even realize.

A Well-Ordered Home May Bring More Good Things:

Followers of the Chinese discipline Feng Shui believe that a well-ordered home aligns vital energy in your life to bring good fortune in other areas of your life. Whether or not you believe in Feng Shui, given the above information, it’s hard to argue that an organized home wouldn’t bring additional benefits, chief among them being reduced stress.

So, while Spring presents a great excuse to get your home in order, any time is the right time to create an organized, soothing atmosphere to come home to. You can simplify your life and reduce the daily stress you experience by putting in relatively minimal effort. This article has some valuable information on how you can de-clutter, organize and decorate your home in a low-stress way, and keep it that way with minimal hassle. Let your home be your sanctuary!

- Shannan

Source: About.com

Set A Fitness Goal

I have written a couple times about exercise and how important it is for all of us to do something physical at least a few time a week. Well, I am challenging you to take it to the next level.

Last winter I started running at the gym and set the goal for myself to be able to run 3 miles fairly easily. I thought that is where I should be considering my age and physical ability. I acheived that goal and have pushed on to bigger and better distances. Now in just under two weeks I am signed up to run The Crim, a 10 mile race in my area. And, in October, I signed myself up to run a half marathon, The Brooksie Way. This scares me a little, but I know a lot of people that did it last year and have a lot of friends working toward it this year so why can't I right???

As I was researching half marathon training schedules, I was a little nervous that they were going to expect me to run long distances several times per week, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that shorter runs are an important part of the training schedule. I am not a natural when it comes to running and don't want to injure myself by pushing too hard.

So next time you are contemplating your workout it may be nice to have your own fitness goal. Maybe your goal is to be able to walk a mile, run a mile or to run a marathon. No matter what, it feels good to set goals and reach them. My big advice, make them acheivable. Don't start out with the marathon if you are not much of a runner. That is just discouraging. Take baby steps and enjoy your successes along the way.

- Shannan

You Are What You Eat

I watch Good Morning America (GMA) most mornings. If you do too you may have already heard this story, so sorry.

A few weeks back, Good Morning America did a segment on how a high fat restaurant meal immediately affects your body and the fat present in your bloodstream. I have to say I was somewhat disgusted.

ABC News producer Jon Garcia and reporter Yunji de Nies went to the University of Maryland Medical Center to put an appetizer, entree and dessert to the test.

Before they ate, researchers took blood samples and gauged the health of their arteries with an ultrasound. They both passed the tests and were deemed perfectly healthy.

The three-course meal: an appetizer (deep fried macaroni and cheese), entree (quesadilla burger) and dessert (mega-sized deep dish sundae) packed 6,190 calories and 187 grams of saturated fat. The USDA recommends that adults our age eat roughly 2,000 calories per day, and no more than 20 grams of saturated fat. This means this single meal packed more than three times the daily recommended calories, and nearly 10 times the saturated fat suggested by federal guidelines.

Neither could finish the massive portions. They both felt tired and sluggish after eating. Jon even got a severe headache.

They waited two hours and got new blood tests. Jon's blood samples showed an obvious, significant difference. While his pre-meal blood sample was relatively clear, his post-meal sample was extremely cloudy -- you could literally see the fat that was now flooding his system.

de Nies's blood also showed a difference, though not nearly as dramatic as Jon's. On the other hand, an ultrasound revealed a startling change. A large dose of saturated fat causes a chemical reaction, wherein the arteries narrow and do not dilate properly. This means the heart must work harder to pump blood through the arteries. In de Nies's case, her heart was working so intensely to pump blood through my narrowed arteries, you could actually hear the difference in my blood flow.

Today GMA aired a segment suggested by a viewer (not me) who asked how your body reacts to a healthy meal. The results were encouraging. The meal of soybeans, salmon, veggies, rice and a shared dessert of apple pie. Not only did the fat levels within the bloodstream not increase like they did with the fatty meal, they actually created positive cardiovascular results.

Watch entire video here.

I was much more motivated by seeing what a healthy meal could do for me that what a nasty one does to hurt my body. I can't really explain why other than I prefer to focus on the bright side and am more motivated by positive reinforcement than the negative.

Once again this proves what we all know... you are what you eat!

Shannan

Source: Good Morning America

Getting Back on Track

I think I am writing this post more for myself today than anyone else...well not really, I hope there is somebody out there feeling the same way and maybe I can help. :)

I have written posts in the past about changing your eating habits and adopting a healthier whole foods and even more Raw approach to eating. This I truly believe in so I am here to say that we all get off track. Today, I am recommitting to the healthy eating habits I believe in and that make me feel good.

After over a week of having my husband home on vacation, working in the yard (finally got our backyard landscaped the way we wanted it) and a mini-vacation which included tons of eating out, I am ready to feel healthy and vibrant instead of tired and sluggish. I can truly tell the difference when I am not eating right. My husband even expressed his love for our home-cooked/grilled meals in the midst of our weekend in the city.

You would think that summer would automatically lend itself to healthy, fresh and even Raw eating, but the lack of routine throws me off. As of today, I am recommitting to my green smoothies, green juice, healthy homemade meals and mmmmm...my yummy granola.

In a few days, I know my energy will have increased and I will simply feel lighter, both physically and mentally. So what is on the agenda today?

• One large strawberry-banana smoothie for breakfast


• A trip out to the farm to pick up my CSA veggies


• A trip to Whole Foods for more bulk seeds and oats to make a huge batch of granola


• Plan the menu for this week's dinners


• A nice long run to clear the mind

I hope you have a healthy and happy week!

- Shannan

Exercise and Age

As I may have mentioned in past posts, I am an avid exerciser and over the last 13 years or so, I have maintained some sort of cardio and weight training routine. Just like most people some periods were a little more off than on, but I always come back to it. I bring this up only to make the point that I am in okay shape. Oh, and by the way, I recently turned 40.

On Thursday I was in my regular Kick-Punch cardio kickboxing class. I was still feeling sore from Monday's weight training and suffering from a sore foot that seems to be a chronic problem at this point. It was hard to motivate (I was feeling old) and I mentioned it to one of my classmates who just happens to be 5 - 10 years older than me. At that point she said the greatest thing which has stuck with me ever since. "We just work harder. As you get older, it is like running up hill. You have to work harder to maintain the pace." The best part is that she said it with a smile on her face and I completely understood where she was coming from. We are strong and we have the ability to work harder mentally and physically. Thinking about this has motivated me to push forward.

So what is my point? It is so important to maintain OR improve as we get older. Even if you don't exercise today, you can still reap the benefits and you will. Here is an excerpt from a great article I found regarding staying active at any age.

Staying Active: Time's Natural Impact

With each passing decade, our bodies lose more muscle mass and bone density, and, in turn, strength and flexibility. Fortunately, this process can be reversed at any stage in your life by revving up your physical activity. "You're never too old to exercise," says Dr. Rosanne Leipzig, professor and vice-chair of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in New York City. "There are clinical trials, even in nursing home patients over age 90, showing that you can improve your health and well-being by starting to exercise at any age."

Most people in good health don't need their doctor's okay to start a moderate exercise program, such as daily walking. Under certain circumstances, however, a visit to the doctor's office is in order. "If you're past age 60 and have a serious chronic disease, let your doctor know before you begin exercising," says Dr. Church. "And if you're planning anything more rigorous than walking — say, biking, rowing, or swimming — certainly check with your doctor first."

Staying Active: The Exercise Rx

For overall health and well-being, it's important to incorporate four types of exercise into your routine:

Aerobic, or cardiovascular, activities, to make the heart and lungs work harder. Try to spend at least 30 minutes a day engaging in activities like biking, walking briskly, dancing, swimming, or taking a water aerobics class. You can also raise your heart rate simply doing chores around the house: vacuuming, gardening, raking leaves, or washing the car.

Strengthening exercises, to build bone density and strengthen muscles used for daily activities, such as climbing stairs. Aim to do strengthening exercises two to three times a week, using dumbbells, resistance bands, weight machines, or foam weights in a pool. To learn correct form and prevent injury, take a class at a gym, YMCA, or senior center.

Stretching, to increase flexibility and allow easier movement. Stretch on your own for 10 minutes a day, or sign up for a stretching class. Yoga and Pilates also incorporate many stretching techniques.

Balance exercises, to reduce the risk of falling. Tai chi and yoga can improve your equilibrium. Or practice standing on one foot, then the other — if possible, without holding onto a support.

So no matter what your age or your physical ability, I hope you will take the opportunity to move today. It's never too late!

- Shannan

Source: Everyday Health

How to Maintain a Healthy Attitude

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you. Brian Tracy

In today's tough economic times it is difficult to maintain a healthy attitude. I know that I am feeling some stress over the layoffs, bankruptcies, and forclosures reported in the news each day. Even if you are not directly affected, here in Michigan for sure, we all know someone who is and that makes it difficult to stay positive.

So why is it so important to try to maintain a positive attitude anyway? Optimism directly influences our health, quality of life as we age and may even improve our longevity. Being an optimist and having a positive attitude may also help reduce our risk of dying from heart disease and many other types of illnesses. Other benefits of a healthy attitude include:

• Better ability to deal with work and other daily activities


• Fewer limitations due to pain and emotional stress


• Increased energy and exuberance


• A more peaceful, calm and relaxed state of mind


• Better and longer lasting social connections


• An easier time dealing with life’s frustrations and challenges

On the other hand, negative thoughts may cause you to be more prone to illness due to a weakened immune system and can seriously impact your social interactions. Pessimists are those that see life in a negative light and always expect the worst. When the "worst" actually happens they either blame themselves or go on living thinking that things will always go bad. As you can imagine, this sort of negative attitude will weigh you down both mentally and physically.

So how do you create and maintain a healthy attitude?

• Exercise. Fitness and exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel good and feel healthy.


• Eat well. The body and mind connection is a powerful thing. How we eat directly influences our mental outlook.


• Get Out. Being outside does wonders for almost everyone. In fact, the more contact with nature we have, the better we feel.


• Laugh Often. They say that laughter is the best medicine, and that a life full of smiling and laughing, from whatever cause will uplift you, and make your more vibrant and healthy.


• Get plenty of rest. Sleep refreshes you, gives you more energy, and relieves stress.


• Elevate and defuse stressful situations. Weigh what's important and what's not. Take a few deep breaths. Instead of getting upset, seek out a simple distraction.


• Try meditation. It may be difficult at first to sit still and do nothing, bu you'll be amazed at how relaxed you can feel. (Yoga can help focus your mind and body culminating in this stillness.)


• Get in touch. Cultivate a network of friends and acquaintances. Make sure there's someone you feel close to, a confidant who can provide support.


• Let go. Express your feelings. When you allow yourself room to feel and show emotions, you reduce stress and a tendency toward pessimism. But don't dwell on your emotions - move on.

Although you may feel that people/you have a predisposition toward optimism or pessimism, an optimistic attitude can be learned, practiced and adopted. When faced with a challenge, stressful situation or frustration, make the decision to address it with a positive attitude or at least not a completely pessimistic one. Over time, with practice, you will begin to see that each and every challenge you face is an opportunity to grow in some way, making you a stronger, more positive and ultimately healthier you.

- Shannan

Sources: NaturalHealthLifestyles.com, St. John Health System

Improving Your Child's Nutrition

A couple weeks ago my girl's preschool did 'Healthy You' week. I took this as an opportunity to introduce the other preschool moms to Living A Whole Life so I made a little flyer and took in some business cards. This immediately sparked conversation about how they could get their kids to eat better. In some ways I found it difficult to provide general information. Each child is different and each family is at a different level of nutritional awareness. Ever since, I have been thinking about what moms and dads can do to encourage healthy eating and what some of the roadblocks are that stop them from doing so.

Give your children the gift of good nutrition. Teaching your kids to eat healthy now is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. It is right up there with love, self esteem, and a good education if you ask me. As some of you already know, this is not an easy gift to give. It takes some extra time and effort to both shop for and prepare healthy foods (mostly because it is not a habit for us either) and to get your kids to eat them. So the next time your kids are begging for sugar cereal at the grocery store, be strong and remember that the gift you give them today will last a lifetime.

Start talking today. Whether your child is 2 or 12, it is important to start talking to them about good nutrition today. Yes, I know old habits are hard to break, but if you engage your child in the converation about why eating healthy foods is important they may be more willing to try a few new things. For example, I have always made a big deal about growing up strong and smart with my girls who just turned 5. At a very young age we made jokes about how treats or chips go to our butts, but good foods like fruits and veggies go to our brain, our muscles and our bones. They still ask me where certain foods go and giggle in anticipation of the answer. Older kids may relate to getting better grades or getting better at their favorite sport.

Model the behavior. Monkey see, monkey do when it comes to smaller children. Changing your child's mind will not happen with words alone. You must personally jump on board by, as Ghandi says, "being the change that you want to see in the world." For instance, sorry in advance J, but Karla and I have a brother-in-law who is a really picky eater. He turns his nose up at tons of different kinds of foods without thinking of how that looks to his children. Today at 10 and nearly 8, they too are extremely picky eaters. Hmmm.

Now I will let you in on a little secret (glad my kids can't read too well yet)...I don't like raw tomatoes. I love them cooked, but still with as many times as I have tried them, I just don't like 'em raw. The key here is, my kids have no idea that I don't like them. I have never spoken the words or made a big deal of it at all. They love raw tomatoes and want to eat them off my salad all the time. What a nice mom I am, I let them have my tomatoes every time!

Make gradual changes (sneaky if you have to). You can't expect your kids to react well to a complete eating overhaul all at once. You wouldn't like it if someone did that to you, so make changes slowly. A couple good places to start: if you are a white bread family, make sandwiches with one piece of white and one piece of whole wheat bread and eventually change it all over to whole wheat. Or, if your kids eat peanut butter and jelly a couple times a week like mine do, mix equal parts regular peanut butter with natural peanut or almond butter. Get them used to the no sugar nut butter and eventually switch completely. I am actually in the process of changing the peanut butter right now. I'll let you know how it goes over.

Encourage your kids to try new things. Now this can be a toughy for a lot of adults let alone kids. I am a firm believer though that if you don't try it you won't know if you like it. When the girls were really little, like 2 1/2 or so, we would make salmon and call it salmon-chicken. They knew they liked chicken so they tried it. We have since dropped the chicken, they know it is fish and it is family favorite. Side note: I wasn't a big fan of salmon because my mom often made salmon patties which smelled really bad to me growing up. My husband got me to try the real thing and I love it! Tip: Try the 'no thank you bite' rule. Put the new food on your child's plate and if they refuse to eat it ask them to take at least one bite and then they can say 'no thank you' to the rest. This encourages an open mind without the pressure of having to eat it all and who knows they may like something.

Don't make dinner a battleground. I know it is frustrating when kids don't like what you made or won't eat what you think is a decent amount of food, but try to stop yourself from letting mealtime turn into wartime. Let your child know that this is what is for dinner and that you hope they will at least try it. I would encourage you to introduce new things a little at a time and always make sure there is at least one item on your child's plate that you know they will eat. Do not bribe them to eat in order to get a treat afterward. This sets a bad precident. And, once dinner is done (no more than a 1/2 hour) just remove their plate from the table and call it good. A fight over food every night will do nothing but escalate a battle of wills and associate bad feelings with dinnertime for everyone.

There is no clean plate club at our house either. I want my children to rely on their bodies to tell them when they are full, not me. On the other hand, I have one little wild girl who needs some encouragement to eat so she usually gets stuck having to take 2 or 3 more bites of certain things before she is officially done. I think she just plans for it now. She often asks if she needs to take 1, 2 or 3 more bites of something. FYI, the answer is always 3.

Good luck!
- Shannan

Avoiding Healthy Eating Sabotage

We have all heard of friends and family sabotaging someone's diet when they are trying hard to lose weight, but do any of you feel that your healthy lifestyle is ever unwittingly sabotaged by those around you? It happens to me every once in a while and today was one of those days. Not a big deal, but it got me thinking about why people care at all about what I do or don't eat.

As a stay-at-home mom, I have control over the food I buy and the food I eat. I don't have the issues of lunch out with customers or traveling. I hold my diet to a fairly high standard and although I am not always perfect (and never will be), my bad eating today is nothing like my bad eating was 10 or 15 years ago. So why do I bring all of this up?

Even with the knowledge and self-control I have on a daily basis, I still fall into situations where I actually feel pressure to compromise my eating habits to please others. Kristen's Raw mentions in her book, The Easy Way to Get Started & Succeed at the Raw Food Vegan Diet & Lifestyle, that people feel that their way of life is under scrutiny when you choose to eat a certain way. She says that many people will assume, from your dietary choices, that you think you're somehow superior to them...not just their food choices, but actually them. I think in certain instances, this is definitely true.

When I first told some of my friends that I was going to study holistic nutrition and started changing my diet, they would often ask me if I would eat certain foods or when we were out to dinner if I could find something to eat on the menu. I became a little defensive (okay a lot defensive), somewhat self-conscious and always made a point to eat something everyone would consider normal. This I feel is my problem though, not theirs. If I am convinced that the way I eat is the right way for me, why would I ever compromise?

The same goes for my children's diet - yet another thing that I have control over most of the time. I tend to feel like the mean mom if other kids are getting juice or a soda with their dinner and I insist on water. Believe me my kids don't mind half as much as grandma does. But, it is also grandma who I want to let spoil my kids, it's her job, so I let it go and deal with the sugar buzz later.

My point, stick to your convictions. No need to be rude or condescending regarding what anyone else eats, just do what is right for you. Others are commenting or judging for their own reasons whether they feel inferior, threatened in some way or most likely just don't want to feel judged for making the choices they make. Also understand that anyone who does make a conscious effort to change their eating habits whether it be giving up sugar or alcohol, eating Raw or perhaps avoiding meat is doing it for themselves and probably isn't too concerned about what others are eating.

For me, I need to come up with a positive friendly response when people say things like, 'oh just have a little bit, it won't hurt you'. This is the sort of thing that makes me doubt myself and eat something that I know I really don't want. Maybe it is just as simple as no thank you. No explanation required.

Remember though, if you do cave, like I did today, there is always tomorrow!

- Shannan

What motivates you to exercise?

I started a group called Fit Group on a health activist community site that I am a member of called WEGO Heath. My goal with the group is to allow others interested in exercise to discuss what they are doing and to inspire each other to get out there and get moving.

To my surprise (sort of) I started getting responses from people not on what they were doing to stay fit, but on why they weren't doing much or how they only reluctantly exercised. Rather than feel negative or discouraged, I became inspired to personally motive the group members to get up and get going. One of the biggest complaints about exercising is boredom and I totally understand that. I have a very busy mind and overcoming that is more than half the battle.

One of the women actually wrote a short blog post about being a habitual gym quitter. It was great! She pointed out that 80% of your exercising success is actually showing up. Nothing could be more true. Whether you are jumping in your car to hit the gym or going for a walk around the 'hood, you are the only one that can make that happen.

Why do you exercise?

1. Weight Loss - We all know that a thinner you is a healthier you and exercising burns calories, builds muscle and revs metabolism.

2. Athletic Look - Once you become somewhat satisfied with the number on the scale working out to achieve a certain look kicks in. This has been my motivation for a long time - tone, slightly defined arms, legs/butt that don't jiggle too much, flat stomach, I could go on forever.

3. Mental Workout - A mental workout not only satisfies your physical goals, but lifts your mood and reduces your stress. If you can get to this point, exercise is a priority in your life. You are benefitting far beyond what you ever could have imagined in the beginning. The scale becomes less of an issue and the look comes more easily.

I am #3. I really crave my workout and although the physical look is still important to me, I thrive on knowing that I have done something great for my health and feel energized and ready to take on the world. This is why I get so excited about motivating others to exercise. Once you make it a life habit, the rewards are beyond expectation.

A few simple ways to stay motivated:

1. Find an activity you enjoy. Whether it is walking, swimming, biking, jogging, aerobics, weight training, dancing or yoga, you have to have a little love for what you are doing or you just won't stick too it.

2. Take it slow. Don't kill yourself right out of the shoot. Like the old tortoise says "slow and steady wins the race". It is most important in the beginning to create the habit of exercising for yourself rather than overdo it.

3. Find a workout buddy. Take it upon yourself to motivate someone else to exercise. Once again, no matter what the workout is, a walk around the block, weight training or whatever, if you are expected to be there for someone else, I know you will.

4. Take a class. Group fitness classes are a great way to get a good workout in. You get motivation from the instructor, make friends and hopefully enjoy sweating with the group.

5. Keep your mind busy. Boredom is a huge problem so load up the i pod with your favorite tunes or maybe get a new audio book from the library.

6. Create a schedule. If you belong to a gym and show up on the same days around the same time, faces become familiar and eventually you are likely to meet some new friends. They will wonder where you are if you haven't shown up in a few days.

7. Don't make it all about weight. Although losing weight is a hugely motivating factor, don't get too discouraged if the scale doesn't move. As long as you keep working out, change is on the way. You will be building muscle which increases metabolism, working your heart to maintain better cardiovascular health, as well as controlling your blood sugar. If you really need a number, get your body fat percentage measured. For me this is a much better indication of body composition and progress.

I would love to hear what motives you to exercise or how you manage to stick with it. Please leave me a comment then get out there and get moving!!

- Shannan

The Power of Positive Eating

I think diet can be a really nasty word to a lot of people. It evokes negativity and a sense of deprivation. I know that I never stick to a diet, but when it comes to eating right because it makes me feel better or to be healthy rather than a certain weight, my good habits have more staying power.

Over the past several months as I have been exploring what good nutrition really is and learning about eating a whole foods diet. Several people have asked how I can spend my day eating mainly fruits and veggies and if I am struggling not to eat the 'bad' stuff. My answer to them is that I feel good eating a certain way and that by adding the good foods, I am just not craving the bad stuff as much. I call this positive eating. I am not thinking about all of the things I am not eating all day, I am just making sure I fit all of the good things in.

Now this doesn't mean that I don't fall off the wagon every once in a while because I definitely do. As a wife and mother of two 5-year-olds, I do my best to prepare healthy meals, but I certainly can't or maybe don't ask my family eat to raw every night. They are open to a lot of new and different dishes but let's face it, we are going to grab a pizza every now and then. So rather than beat myself up, I just enjoy the pizza.

I was listening to a CD by raw guru David Wolfe a couple weeks ago and he was preaching the same idea of positive eating to a group of people who were clearly interested in losing weight. I was intriged by his message that you can indulge in certain things like chocolate, which he and I are both fans of, if you eat the pure cacoa rather than the processed, sugared up chocolate that we are all used to. It is about making different choices not deprivation. He also told his audience that if you do eat something that maybe you think you should not, enjoy it. The point was that if you are going to have a hamburger, at least don't ruin the experience by beating yourself up. Just eat it and move on.

This all makes perfect sense to me. If you are eating healthy most of the time, don't freak out when you indulge a little. If you are eating great and feeling great as a result, you won't want to binge on unhealthy food long-term. This is different than a traditional diet where you have a list of what is considered good and what is considered bad. It is the guilt, frustration and sense of failure that usually throws a person off the traditional diet track faster than the actual diet. Paying attention to how you feel and how your own body likes to eat for maximum energy and well-being will drive your behavior much more than a list of prohibited foods.

So add the good foods into your day and I believe the unhealthy ones will sort of find their way out of your daily intake. That has been my experience anyway. The moral of the story, spend more time focusing on feeling good rather than feeling guilty.

- Shannan

Goal Setting

With the new year upon us, it is time to embrace what is ahead and set some goals for 2009. These could be the same goals from last years that haven't quite come to fruition or they may be fresh, new milestones that you hope to achieve. Either way, I hope you have the focus and motivation to make one or two goals a reality this year.

Embracing the belief that sharing goals publicly holds a person more accountable and increases the chance of follow-through, I will share a few of my goals for 2009 and I hope you will share some of yours, big or small. (And, in June if you can't for the life of you remember what those goals were, they will be available in the Living a Whole Life archives for you to browse.)

My 2009 Goals
1. to complete my holistic nutrition studies and earn my Certificate in Nutritional Counseling
2. to increase my daily raw food intake through juicing or munching to 75%
3. to run 10 miles by August so I can participate in a popular race in my area
4. to feel young, energized and ready to take on the world when I turn the big 4-0 in the Spring
5. to increase blog visits and interaction by providing informative posts that help others improve their health and well-being. (so please keep reading and share!)

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Now let us know what you want to accomplish in the next 12 months. Okay, I will start for you...

1. to read Living a Whole Life as often as possible...now the rest is up to you!!

Happy New Year!!

- Shannan (and Karla)

Start Strong

I truly look at every new day as a fresh start when it comes to diet and exercise. As I find my way through this transition to a healthier whole food diet, I experience downfalls on certain days or certain times of the day.

It takes time to incorporate new habits into your everyday life and eating is a huge part of our daily routine. Where am I at? Well, I start each day strong with a healthy breakfast, go to the gym, have my green smoothie right when I get home and eat a healthy lunch. It is the afternoon that tends to be a problem for me. That is when I want something sweet and will make poor choices (like digging into the leftover Halloween candy). By dinnertime I am usually back on track since I planned for that meal earlier in the day.

So what is the solution? If you have a difficult time of the day like I do, we all know that planning a not-so-bad snack is the key. That is my goal for next week. I need to find a few things that will satisfy my sweet tooth without blowing my whole day.

There was a time when I would have beat myself up or felt very depressed for falling off the diet or exercise wagon, but that just isn't productive. If you are having a hard time, take a moment to identify either the time of day or maybe the temptation or the excuse for not exercising. You know what is going on with yourself so work on solvng the problem, but give yourself a break too. At least you are trying!