Start a New Healthy Habit

Every year, millions of people make New Year's resolutions: eat less, exercise more, cut back on sweets, establish healthy eating habits and many others. Few, if any, of these resolutions are still in place by the end of January. Once started, it's not always easy to maintain healthy habits, no matter how much we'd like to. Healthy habits and good intentions sometimes get pushed aside when we get too busy or too stressed. Sometimes maintaining a new healthy habit is harder than it seems. Fortunately, there are a few tricks that can make it easier to maintain a new healthy habit. The easiest way to stick with a new habit—as well as the first step toward making that habit a regular part of your life—is to choose wisely. If you want to make it easy to stay with a healthy habit, it must be something you enjoy, and something that fits well with who you are.

Click here for some food tips to begin a new healthy eating habit.

Born to Run

Starting a new habit can be an arduous task at times. We come up with every excuse in the book for putting off what we said we would do. Take exercising. I must have made hundreds or thousands of promises to myself to either begin a new workout program or return to a workout program.

What is a habit and what is the best way to form a habit? What does the Bible say about habits? How can forming good habits be sabotaged?

Marybeth Whalen shares her experience in how she started a new habit and how it stuck.

Read the entire article

Share your new habit that you have already started or plan to pursue this new year

Healthy Holiday Snacks

Aside from decorating, shopping, singing carols and gift buying, people will be eating cookies, cakes, candy and other sugary snacks. The holidays mean many things to different people, but the one common factor that binds people together is the way appetites seem to increase during this time of the year.

The time between now and January means one challenge after another for people trying to eat healthy, but there are steps everyone can take to avoid unwanted pounds. This is the same old, same old issue that comes up every year. For some of us, the Christmas season turns into one big eat frenzy, and we can’t seem to stop ourselves. We say, “Oh, it’s Christmas, let’s just celebrate”. By the end of January, we may find ourselves unhappily weighting a few more pounds. It's easier to gain weight than many people imagine. Five pounds is the equivalent of 17,500 extra calories, or about 290 calories a day. What can that mean in food consumed each day?

· Two Christmas cookies
· Two ounces of chocolate
· Less than a cup of eggnog

What can you do to avoid weight gain during this time while keeping your cholesterol and blood pressure in line? The best tip is to be selective in the parties you attend and what you eat once you're there—assess the “must-go” factor and “food triggers”. Have a game plan even before the season starts.

Click here for a few strategies.

What are some of your strategies to keep the holiday pounds off?

Here are some recommended resources to help keep you on track (click on the image to purchase):

Deadliest Holiday Foods

It's that time of year again. We're overcome by the thrill of holiday shopping, parties, family gatherings, out-of-town guests and everything else that makes up this special time of year.

But in the midst of all the holiday hustle and bustle, we often lose sight of what's really important: Just how long should those festive food trays stay out in the open air? This year, our Christmas gift to you is a guide to food-poisoning prevention.

Foodborne illness is no joke. An estimated 76 million Americans are leveled by foodborne illness annually. At least 5,200 will die. The elderly and individuals with compromised immune systems are at the greatest risk. But most food safety experts say 'tis the season to be cautious because even the healthiest person is a potential victim.

Most of us will attend or host at least one gathering over the holidays. And chances are there will be plenty of festive food spreads that include everything from cold cuts to dips to desserts. But have no fear, you can take measures to ward off poisoning your guests or being poisoned by your hostess.

"At most parties, they put out cold cuts, pies, cut-up fruit, and most people gets caught up with your guests, they don't remember the 'two-hour rule.' If food is left out more than two hours, bacteria grows to harmful levels and that's when people get sick.

You have to keep an eye on the food. If guests come at 4 p.m. and the food is still there at 8 p.m., you have to realize that people can get sick. You lose track of things during the holidays with so much going on.

Another error made by well-intentioned hosts and hostesses is the topping off of a dish that's been sitting for an extended amount of time. You shouldn't dump fresh food atop old food. When you do refill a dish, empty and wash the platter or serve the new food on a new platter. It's a simple step in reducing the risk of foodborne illness. Watch the clock -- never leave food out for longer than two hours.

If you're a concerned guest, you can nicely ask the host if they would like you to put the food in the refrigerator so that the food doesn't go bad.

Click here for some popular foods that can be hazardous to your health.

What are some of your holiday food safety habits you follow?

Here are some recommended resources to help keep you healthy (click on the image to purchase):

Fitness = aerobic + strengthening + flexibility

There are three main components of fitness and a range of options within each. Learn about the various activities in each area, and find out how long and how often you should do them to reach your fitness goals.

• Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and lungs.


• Muscle-strengthening activities build muscles that burn fat.


• Flexibility reduces pain and tension, increases range of motion, and improves balance and posture.

Exercises for core stabilization should be part of every conditioning program, along with flexibility, strength, and aerobic training.

Stay FITT
To get the most out of your routine, Robert Sallis, MD, suggests the FITT principle.

Frequency: Exercise most days of the week.
Intensity: Exercise at a rate that allows you to talk, but not to sing.
Time: Exercise for 30 to 50 minutes per session.
Type: Choose an activity like jogging, swimming, walking, or dancing that works major muscle groups and gets your heart rate up.

Read the entire article: www.livingstonesinc.org/fittarticle.html

Come back next month to find out how to start and maintain a fitness plan.

Tell us your Stay FITT strategies.