Healthy 716- Connecting the 716 to Healthier Living

  Have you ever noticed that foods that aren't exactly “good” for you seem to taste amazing? It’s kind of like Mother Nature is playing a practical joke… but there are a few reasons this happens. Many “crave-worthy” foods are loaded with sugar, salt, fat, and empty calories. Our brains are  hardwired  to crave tasty, high-energy (aka high-calorie) foods because they help us survive when food is scarce. (Except for most of us, food isn’t scarce anymore — so we have to be careful not to overeat these foods.) Manufacturers spend a LOT of time and money making these foods as delicious as possible – and also on ads to entice us. It's no surprise that some of these foods are hard to resist! So if you find yourself craving these foods, that’s by design! I’m sharing this with you because I believe knowledge is power — and keeping this in mind helps me keep my own food choices in check!According to the National Academy of Sciences, people eat too many calories, saturate...

Here’s a trap almost everyone has fallen into at one point or another… Have you ever heard yourself say (maybe only to yourself): “When  [insert anything you are waiting/hoping for]  happens, I’ll start focusing more on my health and fitness”? It could be when … the weekend is over your schedule eases up the seasons change your kids reach a certain age and on and on and on! Author Bill Phillips once said… “If you wait until everything in your life is perfect before you begin something challenging and new, you’ll be waiting forever. The best time is now.” In other words, stop waiting! If you keep waiting for the planets to align to get started — because you think it will be easier or somehow “better” — you are robbing yourself of how good you could feel RIGHT NOW! Remember: It’s not about being perfect. It’s about taking small, imperfect steps in the direction of your goal. What step can you take  today ? Even ...

  Today’s focus is a biggie because even though you can’t see it, it can have a major effect on your health… And that’s belly fat. There are two basic kinds of belly fat … The “pinch-an-inch” type that’s just under your skin, called subcutaneous fat And the fat deep inside your body that you CAN’T see, called visceral fat   It’s the second type we’re going to talk about today. Having some of that deep visceral fat is healthy because, among other things, it can help protect your organs.  But too much of it can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. You can get a buildup of visceral fat because of your genetics and/or lifestyle factors like stress, diet, lack of exercise, poor sleep, etc.  Here’s a quick test to see if you are at risk: Grab a tape measure and measure around your waist. Divide your waist size by your height (using either inches or centimeters for both calculations). A healthy ratio is no more than 0.5 (for both women and men).   If you’re not...