HealthyLife Articles

Category: Healthylife® Weigh

  • Seek Downtime Daily

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 6

    Women on park bench reading and drinking coffee.

    Downtime is idle time between activities. Examples are the moments you have waiting at a red light, the time spent riding in an elevator, or the extra time you have during a lunch break.

    Idle time allows your brain to rest, process, and store information (how you learn and form memories). If you’ve ever had a great idea come to you in the shower, you know how creative your mind is during this time. Appreciate downtime to reduce feelings of boredom.

    Often, multi-tasking or a feeling that you must always be doing something steals this time away. The resulting “addiction to activity” does not let your mind rest during the day. The result can be a feeling of being busy all the time. You may feel like you need “time to think.” If you go all day without downtime, it can be harder to quiet your mind at night and go to sleep.

    Practice letting your mind rest every day. If you are used to filling   your time with multiple tasks at once, the following exercise may be  eye-opening!

    Try This: Sit in a room or outside for 15 minutes and do nothing. Don’t look at your phone or seek any other distractions. Let thoughts enter your mind.

    Reflect: How did you feel at the end of 15 minutes?

    Ways to Include Downtime Daily

    *  Turn off notifications on your phone. Set aside time for social media during the day-and avoid it at other times.

    *  Listen to music instead of the news or talk radio while driving. Or, sit in silence and let your mind wander.

    *  Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to take at least five minutes of “blank space” time during your day.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • The Power Of A Phrase

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 4

    Mother and adult daughter having coffee together.

    Fill in the blank after the victim phrase with something you have caught yourself saying or feeling. In the third column, use an accountability phrase to re-write this statement.

    Victim Phrase

    *  I can’t…

    *  It’s useless…

    *  I have to…

    *  Why am I always the one who…

    *  I should…

    Drained Feeling

    *  Defeated

    *  Hopeless

    *  Obligated

    *  Burdened

    *  Guilt

    Accountability

    *  I can…

    *  There’s always a chance…

    *  I choose to…

    *  I’ll be the one who…

    *  I want to…

    In Control Feeling

    *  Confident

    *  Hopeful

    *  Decisive

    *  Secure

    *  Power

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • What’s In A Name?

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 2

    Colorful salad with green apples, blue berrties, and walnuts.

    What’s for dinner? How you describe food to yourself and others matters. This helps you know what tastes to expect. This also helps you judge the quality of food and whether it will satisfy you. You often find this level of detail and flair in recipes and high-end restaurant menus!

    Here are a few examples:

    *  Green beans: Slender string beans drizzled with olive oil and parmesan

    *  Yogurt and blueberries: Juicy, market-fresh blueberries resting on a pillow of creamy vanilla bean yogurt

    Try it! Write out a menu for yourself that describes your food in a fancy or enticing way. Try this for two vegetables and one fruit. Make and eat one of these this week.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Address Boredom

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 6

    Man changing channels and feeling bored at home.

    Being bored means being tired of doing the same thing over and over again. It may also mean having nothing to do or nothing that seems interesting to do. Write these ideas on sticky notes. Post reminders in places you often get bored.

    *  Shake up your daily routines! If you normally make dinner immediately after work, go for a short walk instead.

    *  Listen to music or an audio book while commuting, cleaning, or doing another boring task.

    *  Do something that keeps your hands busy! (e.g., cleaning, yard work, polishing your nails)

    *  Take your work outside on a nice day or sit in a conference room instead of at your desk.

    *  Do 10 jumping jacks to get your blood flowing!

    *  Put up with non-exciting tasks but look forward to times when you will be doing something you want to do!

    *  Go to your boredom jar and pick a task!

    Create a Boredom Jar

    Write down the things you want to do and will feel proud of doing when you complete them. These activities can be big or small, but try to write down at least a dozen activities. Write down some activities that take a short amount of time and some activities that take longer. Write these down on individual slips of paper and put them in a jar. When you feel boredom could lead to an unhealthy food choice, pick an activity from your jar. Do the activity written on the slip. Write down things you like to do:

    *  Short Activities (10-30 minutes)

    *  Longer Activities (30+ minutes)

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Build Support At Work

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 4

    Employees talking over a coffee break.

    *  Find out about your company’s wellness program.

    – Participate in challenges, such as a step contest, offered through your wellness program. There may be rewards for participation or winning the challenge.

    – Join the wellness committee and participate in surveys that give you a chance to share your opinion. Let your company know what policies will help you be healthy. Your employer wants you to be healthy, as this helps their health care costs and helps you be productive at work.

    – Volunteer to be a wellness champion. Sharing your journey with others may help give your goals a bigger purpose.

    *  Organize walk times with coworkers at work. If you can, spend part of your lunch break going for a walk around the building or outside.

    *  If you are going out to eat with coworkers, suggest you go somewhere that offers healthy options.

    *  Celebrations at work should include healthy options and limit unhealthy options. Encourage the person who organizes these events to make healthier options available.

    *  Split meal prep with a coworker. Bring a healthy lunch or snack to share for the first half of the week. For the second half of the week, your coworker brings a healthy lunch or snack to share.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Do Activities You Enjoy

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 5

    Older couple riding bikes.

    Answer these questions.

    *  What activities have I been good at before?

    *  What activities do I enjoy doing?

    *  What equipment do I have or can I use?

    *  What outcomes do I want to achieve?

    *  What activities am I physically able to do?

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Fruits & Vegetables 2

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Menus & Recipes

    A variety of vegerables.

    Choose a wide variety of whole fruits and vegetables for a huge assortment of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber. Select fresh, frozen, dried, or canned. Choose canned fruit packed in juice to avoid added sugar. Choose canned vegetables with reduced or low sodium levels. Try to include a fruit or vegetable with most snacks and all meals.

    ½ cup of fruit counts as:

    *  ½ cup raw, chopped, cooked, or canned fruit

    *  1 small banana, peach, or orange

    *  1 large plum or 16 seedless grapes

    *  ½ cup 100% fruit juice

    *  ¼ cup dried fruit

    1 cup of vegetables counts as:

    *  2 cups raw leafy vegetables

    * 1 cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw

    * 1 cup 100% vegetable juice (choose less often)

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Identify Emotions That Prompt You To Eat

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 6

    Top view of woman on the sofa eating a healthy salad.

    Indicate how often the following scenarios apply to you.

    *  When I’m angry or upset, I think, “I don’t care what I eat or how much I eat.”

    *  When I see something tasty, I eat it but regret it later. I find myself saying, “Why did I just do that? I didn’t really want it.”

    *  When I have a craving for something, it is very difficult for me not to satisfy it right away. I may feel frustrated until I have it.

    *  When I’m stressed, I tell myself, “I can take a break from eating healthy so I can focus on the stressful things. I will get back on track later.”

    *  When I am eating with my friends or family, I can’t seem to stick to my healthy plans.

    *  Once I start eating something I really like, I have a hard time stopping, even when I want to.

    *  I find myself saying, “Oh, what the heck, I blew it anyway. I might as well eat whatever I want.”

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Limit Sodium 2

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Menus & Recipes

    Sea salt on wooden spoon and the word salt written in grain.

    Your body needs some sodium (salt), but not too much, to keep the right balance of body fluids, use muscles properly and transmit nerve signals. Limit foods high in sodium and use added salt sparingly. Ways to limit sodium include:

    *  Limit processed meats like sausage and pepperoni.

    *  Choose salt-free or low-sodium canned foods (soup, vegetables, etc.) by reading the food label.

    *  Read nutrition information for restaurant items when available.

    *  Leave the salt shaker off the table. Taste your food before adding salt. If needed, add a little.

    *  Flavor foods without salt. Instead, use more herbs and spices.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Mindfulness

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 6

    Man mediating on bedroom floor.

    Mindfulness means you are fully aware of all aspects of what you are sensing in the current moment. Practice mindfulness while you listen to music, walk, run, garden, or eat.

    *  Focus on current thoughts without judging them.

    *  Put past thoughts and what the future has in store out of your mind.

    Mindfulness can activate areas in the brain that give you feelings of calmness and help reduce stress.

    Mindfulness Exercise

    *  Set aside five (or more) minutes. Find a place with no distractions.  Get comfortable.

    *  Focus on your breathing or anything in the present, such as the sounds you hear or an object in your sight.

    *  As thoughts pop up in your mind, let them go without judging them. Return your focus to what you see, hear, and feel.

    Mindful Eating

    *  Have a space for eating that is separate from where you do other tasks.

    *  Calm yourself first. Use other relaxation techniques to help you focus on the present.

    *  When you are eating, just eat. Avoid multi-tasking. Distractions like watching TV or looking at your phone take away from being mindful.

    *  Savor your food and the act of eating it. Embrace all of the senses-touch, smell, sight, taste, and sound.

    *  Avoid judging yourself while you eat. Once you have chosen what to eat, enjoy it fully.

    Practice Mindfulness with an Orange

    Peeling an orange or other fragrant fruit can help you practice focusing on the moment. Press your nail into the thick skin to break through. Breathe in the citrus scent as you slowly take pieces off the fruit. Bite into a slice of the orange. Notice the taste on your tongue and the feel of the juices.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine