help ease me into living healthier plz!! (jm)

I've done a LOT of major changes in the past few months, but I think the best thing has been doing an intense cardio workout 5-6 times a week, not only to get in shape, but it REALLY helps me sleep.  I've had NO problems sleeping, even when I'm stressed.  Getting good sleep means I feel happier and healthier overall.

As for eating, I've done better eating smaller amounts every few hours rather than trying to stick to meals.  For example, often my day will be something like: 8:00am yogurt cup and granola bar, 10:00am banana, 12:00pm cup of soup, 2:30pm orange, 5:00pm small sandwich and low fat cottage cheese, 8:30pm fat free popcorn.  I try to eat 100-300 calories like 5-6 times a day.  I've lost 23 pounds since New Year's.  Now what I am doing is learning to maintain my new weight, so I am eating slightly more and exercising slightly less.  I still want to lose about 7 more lbs but I have until August.  Today my friend told me I look too skinny so I've talked to some workout/nutrition people and changed my diet/calorie requirements to maintain weight rather than to lose.  When I was losing weight, I ate 1200-1500 cals a day and now I'm eating 1500-1800 a day and working out more like 4-5 times a week for 45 mins rather than 5-6 times for 45-60 mins.  I'm also allowing myself to use my time for things like chores and other activities that are active, but not as intense as my 60 minute cardio workout.  I don't want to burn out and gain all the weight back.

My BF's mother absolutely swears by eating lots and lots and lots of garlic to boost the immune system

Re: drinks - gatorade really isn't that healthy. Lots and lots of sugar. :( If you have a sugary drink craving, I recommend something with 100% juice, because at least that way you're getting some viatmins too :)

In general, with veggies dark colors = more nutritious. So things that are great are like broccoli, spinach, carrots... Not as great are things like iceberg lettuce, celery, cabbage... not that they're bad, just not as many vitamins/minerals/etc.

Yogurt and cheese are really good for getting calcium :) Sorry, that's about all I know, hope it's mildly helpful! 

I think one of the best things about getting into a fitness routine is that IF you gain a couple pounds, you can up your workouts and usually take care of it easily. Without a workout, there's no alternative but to cut way back on eating and sometimes that's harder to do and takes longer. I agree about the help with sleep from working out too. I could go on and on with the benefits, but one that I'm seeing more now than ever is that it prevents aches and pains that other people my age are dealing with.

As for nutrition, I think one of the most important things to do is eat regularly. Whether it's small meals throughout the day (I do this also) or 3 well-balanced meals a day, it's important to give your body the fuel it needs.  Cutting back on sugar is a great idea but Gatorade is loaded with sugar, so I wouldn't switch to that.  If you like V8 juice, you might incorporate one of those into your daily diet. It's loaded with vitamins and if you get the low-sodium kind, it's a very healthy, low-cal drink. I know quite a few people who've switched to green tea and love it. I personally don't care for the taste but I think I may try to convert myself to liking it soon and give up the diet soda I currently drink. I only have one a day, but I'd still like to eliminate it.

hmm, ok cardio workout... oy... it's not me.... i am SUCH a lazy bum. plus i have various joint problems (mostly my knees) so most workouts arent a long term solution for me. i like swimming in theorie, but in practice i find it way too complicated changing back and forth, shower in uncomfortable showers, drying the hair... oy..

but then again, i am really ok with my weight, so... if i HAPPEN to lose a bit as a side effect i wont complain. but i'm ok, if i dont...

smaller meals i do try. but it's hard. i LOVE good food, and have absolutely 0 self control sometimes... lol.. i'm doing that more and more though. yoghurts for breakfast etc... i found soups for dinner a good choice too. just a soup and some fresh bread, yummm... :)

yeah, i like juices too, but 100% juices are just so expensive here, i cant afford to drink it on a daily basis. any other flavored drinks? lol....

yeah, yoghurts are awesome. that's usually my breakfast. :)

and yes, got it: light veggies good-dark veggies VERY good! :)

ok... more more!!!!!

janetmichel3009

ok cardio workout... oy... it's not me

I'll bet the yogurt you eat has quite a bit of sugar. But if you cut down everywhere else, it's probably ok.

janetmichel3009

any other flavored drinks?

Tea. I drink water only. Crystal light? Add some lemon to water.

Also, I make a huge salad in a big bin at the beginning of the week and eat from it all week. Makes it easy to get those veggies in. Salads are also great with bread.

Take Vitamins C and E regularly.  Eat red and orange fruits and veggies, too! And try to eat fairly low fat. Eat olive and virgin coconut oils only.

Last, get some herbal tinctures to boost your immune system. Something you take at the first sign of illness (usually a scratchy or sore throat). I SWEAR by this!  See an herbalist in a shop and ask about it.

Being a vegetarian has worked for me.....I love veggies.....and eat plenty of them......also, vitamins and Echinacea is something I take every day........

snownose

Being a vegetarian has worked for me.....I love veggies.....and eat plenty of them......also, vitamins and Echinacea is something I take every day........

Just curious but when I was giving Sassy echinacea (she had a skin infection) I was told to only give it to her for a few weeks and then stop for a couple weeks. Is that true for humans too?

hmm, i've dont biking (i mean daily and a lot) and it ended up hurting my knees after about 2 weeks. i do bike to work, as i said. but i am really not an active person.

you're right, the yoghurts DO have sugar. didnt even occur to me. i should really shop around and find a place where i can get a cheap natural yoghurt. i actually really love those. was just talking about how i miss it...

yeah, i was thinking about just drinking tea. i mean i could just make a whole bunch in the morning and then drink that all day with ice or whatever, in summer...

what teas do you guys usually drink?

i dont like green tea (although i admit i drink bottled green tea here-lots of sugar), but camilla, peppermint and crizanteme (sp??) are some of my favorites, but unfortunately those are expensive to be drinking on a daily basis... maybe i'll just try a few cheap teas after chosing by price and then see, what i like... lol...

what about the sugar in honey?? is that ok? or is it the same? cause that could taste pretty good with some teas....

A lot of people swear by honey boosting the immune system, particularly helping with allergies (if you get local honey - I think the idea is the bees kind of "dissolve" whatever it is in the flowers that trigger allergies and your body absorbs it enough to not react to it next time you breathe some in, or something!). If you're more trying to be healthy than lose weight, I think tea with honey would be a great idea. Peppermint tea isn't too expensive here - maybe you could find some online? Alternatively, you could start growing your own peppermint - it grows like a weed and is very hardy, so maybe even in an apartment you could get some going! 

janetmichel3009

it ended up hurting my knees after about 2 weeks.

That means the muscles in your legs aren't strong enough. To be overall healthy, you really should take an overall approach to it. You can do a little of each thing, but trying to get healthier by JUST eating right or JUST exercising one way isn't really the best way to do it. A much better approach would be to eat a little better and exercise a little more and in the right ways. (Some cardio and some muscle-strengthening) Most likely, your knees hurt because the muscles in your legs aren't strong enough to hold everything in place. So, weight-bearing (muscle-strengthening) exercises would take care of that. (trust me, this is just going to get worse as you age unless you take a proactive approach to it now)

You say you want to get healthier, but you're really not an active person... Well, that's like saying you want a degree, but you're not the type to go to college...  Activity is a huge contributor to health.

Natural yogurt has sugar, too. Not that it's "bad", but you might want to look at the ingredients and see how much sugar is in the different brands. I go for a lowfat, light yogurt in the big tubs. It's about 100-140 calories per serving (1 cup). It's cheaper than in the individual cups. All yogurt is NOT created equally!

Good Earth tea is my favorite kind. It's delicious! It's sold in many supermarkets.

Honey is better than refined white sugar.  

ohhh.. growing my own peppermint.. that's actually a neet idea!!! i could make some neat mojitos in summer too ;)

yeah, i think i've seen it being sold in pots.. or maybe it was basil... lol... i'll look into that, but what a cool idea!!

and if not, i could drink black tea with honey. black tea is cheap here but i've always found it just a tad too bitter to drink pure. but a bit of honey would be awesome. i think it tastes even better than sugar...

Do you take a good multivitimin?  I've been much healthier since I made it part of my daily routine to take a multivitimin formulated for women.  I also take vitimin C daily -- Last year I had a daily Airborne "habit" that kept me well all winter long, but it got pricey.  This year I switched to plain old vitimin C tablets and I only got one cold.  That's pretty good considering all of the sick people that I tend to work around!

Liesje

I've done a LOT of major changes in the past few months, but I think the best thing has been doing an intense cardio workout 5-6 times a week, not only to get in shape, but it REALLY helps me sleep.  I've had NO problems sleeping, even when I'm stressed.  Getting good sleep means I feel happier and healthier overall.

I can totally relate to this...When I work out I sleep way better even when something is on my mind or I'm stressed about something, I have more energy, I get sick less, and feel awake in the morning.