Healthier Lifestyle Program:

Some of you know I went to University of Kentucky (back in the old days) for food and nutrition and became/worked as a Nutritionist at Tri-County Hospital for years before going into the education, and counseling fields.

I have started a Healthier Lifestyle Program for the faculty and staff at work. All of us want to be the best God has made in us… If we are healthier, we are happier, and better at everything we do. It is completely on a voluntary basis, and as with any new program you start, you may want to check with your doctor if anything may be questionable with medications you are on.

Healthier Lifestyle Program:
Each week I will send an e-mail with a suggestion of something to add or delete from your lifestyle. You start by trying to do it for a week, the next week I will add or delete something else. You will continue each week doing what was said the week before and adding/deleting from that…
There may be times when we go for multiple weeks before adding or deleting, depending on the feedback I am getting. The goal is to have overall better health as a whole. So, if you can’t do everything all the way each week… that’s o.k. Do as much as you can do, as that will be better than where you were before. Even if a couple of small changes become a good habit, we will be better for it.

Week 1: 1. Start listening/paying attention to your body’s needs: Drink when you are thirsty; eat when you are hungry; stop when you are full. Rest/sleep when you are tired. This will make it less likely that you just eat out of boredom or nervousness.
2. Start taking a multi-vitamin at the same time each day: it can even be 2 children’s chewable vitamins a days, which are better for you if you have any stomach issues anyway.

Week 2: 1. Go to bed early: A lack of sleep throws appetite hormones into gimme-more mode. Poor sleep also affects blood sugar and insulin levels in a way that can increase the risk of excessive weight gain. Your goal: 7 to 8 hours of nightly shut-eye, day in and day out.

2. Cut down your dinners out at Restaurants: Your higher content meals should be as early in the day as possible, so try going out for lunch instead of dinner. In studies, eating just one restaurant meal per week in the evening, made people gain weight by 50 percent. Preparing meals at home allows you to control fat, sugar, and salt content -- and lets you know exactly what you're eating.

3. Eat Breakfast every morning: You are breaking the fast from going without food from overnight. Eating breakfast prevents you from bottoming out and getting too hungry gives you a mental advantage throughout the day. When you start off your day, your body needs fuel. “Glycogen stores start to deplete if you haven’t had any food, by lunch you’ll start to feel fatigued, you’re more vulnerable to cravings and less likely to make healthy choices in the morning and throughout the day.