Be Healthy Blog

Healthy Money

Part of having a healthy life is having healthy relationships.  Most relationships with family and friends are based on who you are and what you have in common, but when it comes to marriage relationships there’s a whole lot more to consider.

Recent studies have shown that the highest stress on a marriage is financial concerns.  Nothing stresses people out like money does and even when there’s enough to go around the constant juggling act of calculating interest and paying off bills can get a bit wearing.  Here are some tips to help manage the stress of finances.

-Designate one spouse to monitor all the finances for the family.  One person can more easily see where the money is going and keep track of where it needs to be going.  Don’t get overly confused with multiple statements and balances but instead keep them manageable with one person in charge.

-Find out what debts you can pay off now.  It’s much easier to manage a couple monthly payments instead of several, so look into which credit cards you can pay off early or if it’s possible to do an early mortgage payoff to take the pressure off during the tight months.

-Discuss and decide what things you need to budget and what things have more leniencies.  Is your spouse an impulse buyer that needs to have a strict limit, or are you both willing to consider each purchase and how it will affect your finances? 

Health Tip - Plan Meals and Buy a Week’s Worth of Food at Once

I’ve been trying to get my life planned a little better…and I’ve found that it helps me stay healthy. How’s that, you ask?

Well, I’ve gotten in the habit of planning all the meals for the upcoming week with my wife and then making our grocery list accordingly. This way, when we’re at the supermarket on Saturday buying all the food we need for next week, we’re not spending excessively or buying things that we don’t need. It also helps, because if we plan, we don’t end up making the same, easy, not-so-good-for-you meals (hello mac and cheese). I also find that it means we eat out less because we already have a meal plan.

Less fast food=healthier us. (and it saves a ton of $$)

Health and Akavar

I’ve heard a lot lately about Akavar working well for others trying to lose weight. I’ve seen the commercials and hype, but I’m usually cautious of taking these type of pills.

However, the holidays are coming and an appetite suppressant could help me eat less calories even when surrounded by homemade treats.

Here’s a great article that I found that helped me understand how Akavar works, and that it’s safe to take. I’ve decided to try it, especially since with the sale I get a free bottle if I buy two through the Akavar 20/50 website (if it works, I’ll give it to my husband as a gift).

Healthy Holiday Eating

With the holidays rolling in, the weight gain inevitably follows. However, this year it doesn’t have to. By watching what you eat, while still enjoying yourself, you can avoid the weight gain this holiday season. Learn the rules to keep your figure even while surrounded with holiday parties, cookies, and drinks.

Rule 1: Don’t diet during the holidays. Don’t sabotage yourself by trying to lose weight when you’re sure to be swamped with goodies from social activities. Rather, focus on eating healthy foods during this time and limiting your portion sizes.

Rule 2: Avoid high-calorie drinks. Alcoholic beverages, eggnog, hot chocolate, and other holiday drinks can slide down easily, but can pack in more calories than you realize. If you want to indulge, try ligher versions like white wine and fat-free chocolate.

Rule 3: Eat buffets wisely. When eating at buffets or parties, pick items that will fill you up, like meats, veggies, nuts, and yogurts. When eating treats, pick the few items that you will really enjoy.

Rule 4: Cook light. For your holiday feasts, try lower-calorie versions by substituting low-fat butter and milk in your dishes. Try healthier versions such as meat and veggies without sauces.

Rule 5: Ease your stress. To ease your stress load, let others host parties or do the work for you. Consider hiring a SLC caterer if you want to have a holiday party. Get decorations from others or re-use recipes to make your holiday tasks lower.

Health and Fertility

Although we can try to eat healthy and exercise, our bodies may not always function properly. If you’ve seen our previous post on a healthy pregnancy , you know that it’s important to make good choices for your body if you are trying to conceive or are already pregnant. However, what if your body doesn’t produce enough eggs to conceive or you have some other fertility problem?

Today, many treatments are available for infertility. Fertility specialists may suggest many treatment options depending on your personal history, from surgery, infertility drugs, to IVF treatment with an egg donor.

Besides modern scientific treatments such as ART (assisted reproductive treatment) and IVF (in vitro fertilization), some people decide to use natural infertility treatments, such as acupuncture or herbal remedies.

If you or your partner think that you are infertile, it’s best to consult a fertility specialist in your area, who can recommend the most appropriate treatment for your condition.

A Little Help

Sometimes we need a little help with our diet or exercise habits. It can be difficult to try and change habits that we have had for years. It is frustrating to fail to stick to a new program and learn new habits.

Even if we fail, we can pick ourselves back up. When trying to overcome negative habits, it is best to employ several methods of help.

-Use the buddy system. A friend can help you meet your exercise appointment. You can also exchange healthy recipes and tips.

-Put up reminders. Put up pictures and words of motivation everywhere in your house. Be sure you can see your goals on a daily basis so you are reminded of what you are working towards. Visualization will help keep you motivated, even on those tough days.

-Tell your family. Let your family know your goals so that they can support, encourage, and motivate you to a better you.

-Try an appetite suppressant or weight loss pill. (This works if you don’t think of this as a miracle pill, but as a helpful supplement.) Often, our willpower is not enough to overcome bad habits. It may take an outside force, such as an Akavar weight loss pill, to help us start new healthy habits. Even before the pill starts to work, you may feel mentally stronger that you are taking positive steps to a healthier you.

-Join a forum. Relating with others who are trying to overcome situations just like you can provide the support you need to keep going forward, and you can even make a new friend.

-Write in a journal. Relating your feelings, thoughts, struggles, triumphs, and anything else in a journal or notebook can be like a good friend, allowing you to release your emotions through writing. It can also be a learning tool when you re-read it.

Moderation

Although it is important to eat healthy on a daily basis, we can’t always eat healthy every second of our lives! There will always be moments where we are tempted by goodies such as cookies, cakes, ice cream, potato chips, and soda. Although our healthy eating mindset is to reject these unhealthy items (which is best for your body), it’s okay if we indulge once in a while on our favorite junk food items. Now I’m not talking about every day eating your favorite junk food, but indulging your cravings one day during the week.

Take for example, how you would treat a pet if you had one. You would give your favorite pup a gourmet dog treat probably once during the week, either for doing something good or just because you love him. If you fed your dog food off your plate or dog treats everyday instead of his healthy dog food, he’d feel sick, gain weight, and not have the nutrients he needs. He probably wouldn’t live as long either.

Remember this example when planning your healthy eating plan. Although it can be more difficult for us to eat one “treat” a week since we ultimately have all control over our diets, we need to “treat” ourselves only once in a while, or we will surely get sick.

Remember, moderation in the foods you eat and you healthy eating plan is key!

Healthy Stress?

One aspect of healthy living that we don’t often think about is stress management. Stress can postively and negatively affect our bodies and moods. Stress can cause headaches, poor concentration, irritable moods, disturb sleep, cause anxiousness, anger, depression, and even overeating.

Negative stress is caused when we feel a situation is difficult or overwhelming. We can reduce stress by creating a plan to deal with the problem.

For instance, if you are financially strapped you can meet with a counselor at a financial institution like United First Financial to get a loan, consolidate debts, and pay off your mortgage earlier. It can also be helpful to manage money by creating a budget.

Remember, don’t procrastinate and be proactive in every situation. Whatever type of stress you are dealing with, you can find ways to manage stress in a healthy way. Healthy eating and exercise are two great ways to manage stress. Even if you can’t solve or reduce a stressul problem, you can find ways to relax and enjoy life. Here are some other ways to be happy and healthy by managing stress.

-Be positive . The more optimistic you are about life, the better able you will be to handle stressors and solve problems.

-Talk with friends . Having close friends or family to talk to can help relieve stress and find solutions.

-Relax with breathing exercises.

-Meditate.

-Make a list of blessings about life, family, and assets. Also talk or write down future events and celebrations you are anticipating.

-Help others .

-Show appreciation to those you’re close to .

-Talk a walk or stretch for a few minutes.

-Do yoga .

Goyin Launch Party Coming Up

I noticed on the goyin blog the agenda for the goyin launch party. I wasn’t going to go because I think its 100 bucks, but I did notice that Orin Hatch is going to be there. That is pretty impressive to me, being not only a Utah Senator, but a pretty prominent voice in the House.

Anyway, GoYin has been shown to help with sleeping when you want to sleep and being alert and awake when you want to be that. I went ahead and got the juice here, and it got to me right on time. Not bad. I’ve also been reading the goyin forum and community stuff to keep up with what’s going on. Looks like the goyin launch party is Oct. 18, I might go now.

Energy

In response to the last post about Zantrex energy pill, I am wondering how effective an energy supplement would be in elevating your focus during the day. Since I don’t drink coffee (shocking, yes I know) and I don’t drink caffeinated drinks often, I’m afraid I would be a little sensitive to the high level of caffeine in energy pills.

I read some posts by others taking the pill and I found out that it’s best to start out with one pill with lots of water before taking any more pills (like the two that is directed). One woman also suggested taking some orange juice or something citrus with the pills if your stomach is senstive to stimulants. Most people reported being more motivated and energized throughout the day.

I think the best time to take an energy supplement is for a kick start in morning and right before a workout. You will be more energized throughout the day and work out harder, meaning you’ll burn more calories. If you have anything to add about Zantrex, I’d love to hear from you.