Wellness for Life

1. Wellness for Life Dorothy’s Top Ten Ways to Improve Personal Wellness for Longevity and Quality of Life Dorothy H. Wood, Ph.D.

2. 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!

3. 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?

4. 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

5. 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!

6. 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

7. Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs High fructose corn syrup Refined sugar Refined flour Fruits Grains Vegetables Starchy vegetables

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Exercises may include: • Toning exercises without weights • Compound exercises (push-ups / sit-ups) • Pilates • Modified weight exercises • Weight room

12. 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

13. Protein Vegetables and/orFruits Carbohydrate Your plate should look like this……. High quality for mental alertness (more at lunchtime – less at night) Fresh or lightly sauteed in olive oil – you can’t get enough! Low on the glycemic index to avoid ‘crash and burn’

14. 3. Start Smart 5 easy ways to cut high, empty calories and bad fats from your diet • Absolutely no regular soda (drink water) • Cut out mayonnaise • Olive oil and vinegar on salads (no bottled dressing) • 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)

15. 2. Become a Fat Connoisseur Despite a bad rap, fats are essential to our diet however Not all fats are created equal

16. Good Fats vs Bad Fats Naturally occurring fats: Nuts Olive oil Avocados Fish oils Butter 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

17. Saturated fats – found in meat and dairy • Increase total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels • Cause heart disease • Monounsaturated fats – found in olive and peanut oils, nuts/nut butter • Do not raise cholesterol • Keeps HDL (good) cholesterol raised • Polyunsaturated fats • Omega-3 found in fatty fish, walnuts, canola oil • Protect against heart attack • Omega-6found in corn oil, soybean oil • Promote inflammation limit intake of these Eat mainly these good bad Then there are those you want to avoid altogether…

18. 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

19. Reprinted with permission: S. Joseph esq.; www.bantransfats.com

21. And the #1 way to promote wellness in your life is......

22. 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

23. 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)

24. Aerobic (cardiovascular) exercises include: • Walking / hiking • Bike riding • Running / jogging • Golf • Playing competitive sports • Ice skating / rollerblading • Skiing • Dancing • Playing with children!

26. 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

27. 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

28. My Favorite Book