Primary Food: Are You Neglecting or Nurturing Your Overall Health and Wellness

By Alethea B Copelas

As mothers and wives, we sometimes forget that we need to nurture ourselves as much as those we love. The days are never long enough and there is always one more thing on that "to do" list. Unfortunately, this leads to us neglecting the needs of our body, mind and spirit - our primary food.

The term "primary foods" was coined by IIN the school where I studied, and refers to what feeds the soul - loving relationships, regular exercise, spiritual practice and a fulfilling career. When primary foods are in balance, everything else falls into place. It is important not to forget that food is only one source of nourishment. All parts of our lives affect our health as a whole.

Here are three ways to incorporate small changes into your life and receive big results:

1. Treat yourself to daily quiet time: Carve out time every day to recharge. It could be reading a book, praying, meditating or journaling - it's up to you. Try this simple exercise called Morning Pages (developed by Julia Cameron) to help start your day off right: Before you go to sleep, take out a notebook and pen and put it beside your bed. As soon as you wake up, start writing everything and anything that is on your mind - a stream of consciousness writing. This is not a novel and it's not for anyone to read so just let it flow naturally. There is no wrong way to do this exercise. You might be surprised at what comes out of this exercise! I find after doing them, I feel refreshed and my mind tends to not be as busy during the day.

2. Include exercise as part of your daily life: Experiment with different kinds of exercise and aim for putting aside 30 minutes to one hour 4 times per week. Do you love to be outside? Try biking, running or taking a brisk walk. If you are new to running, Google C25K. This program gets you from the couch to running a 5k in 9 weeks. Running not for you? Look into a local fitness studio and try a class or two until you find something you connect with. Short on time? Purchase a few DVD's and work out at home when the kids are sleeping. The key is just to make the time to get up and MOVE. Regular exercise doesn't just help you get into better shape, it also helps reduce stress, improve sleep, increase energy levels, lower blood pressure and strengthen the heart just to name a few!

3. Take time to connect with your spouse every day: When our kids are young, they are the center of our world and sometimes our relationship with our partner ends up being neglected. Even if it's just ½ hour after the kids go to bed, it's important to nurture your relationship. Has it been a long time since you have gone out, just the two of you? Get a babysitter and mark the date on your calendar! Or make a list of fun "date night in" activities. Whatever you decide, it's important to make a point to spend quality time with your spouse every day.

Once your primary foods are in balance, everything else can fall into place, including reaching health goals like losing weight and eating a more healthful diet. It's time to reconnect and nurture yourself. You are worth it!

Alethea Copelas is the owner of Compass Nutrition, a holistic health coaching practice in Massachusetts that focuses on empowering women to find their personal path to wellness. In addition, as a vegetarian chef, she offers in home cooking classes and menu planning. You can contact Alethea at alethea@compassnutritionma.com or visit her website at http://www.compassnutritionma.com. She can also be found at facebook.com/compassnutritionma, twitter @nutritionma, pinterest.com/nutritionma. Contact her for your free health history consultation today and regain your health and wellness!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alethea_B_Copelas

Are You a Foodie Or an Emotional Eater?

By Annette Colby

Are you a foodie?

A foodie is a term invented in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook. The term is used to describe someone who seeks out and enjoys new restaurants, foods, and wines. is a term used to describe someone who seeks out and enjoys new restaurants, foods, and wines. A foodie delights in the total sensory experience of food. For example, at the grocery store, a foodie will joyfully find the perfect plump fruit, squeezing it gently, smelling it, and noticing the ripeness and color. A foodie has a lust for new food experiences, and enjoys the entire experience of eating - which includes exploring food, shopping for food, preparing and cooking food, and of course eating great food.

Foodie Qualities. Below are 14 questions that can help confirm if you are a true lover of food: 

1. Do you love to explore new recipes?
2. Do you have a passion for the taste of food?
3. Do you appreciate the wonders of fresh food?
4. Do you smell food, inhaling the aromas, and filling up with the joy of scent?
5. Do you shop for the perfect culinary tools?
6. Do you know the difference between Wusthof and Kershaw Shun knives?
7. Do you eagerly await the newest Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma monthly mailing catalog?
8. Is the Food Network your obsession?
9. Do you love finding new recipes to test?
10. Do you savor food, but stop when your taste buds or body tells you the experience is no longer satisfying?
11. Do you choose the very best food available to you?
12. Do you eat food that your body, senses, and intuition guides you toward?
13. Do you eat the types of food that make you more alive and invigorated?
14. Do you eat food that supports your health and vitality?

If these questions already have you dreaming about gourmet eating experiences, then you just might be a true lover of food!

Are You An Emotional Eater?

Many emotional eaters don't know they are eating for emotional reasons. They will say, "I don't eat because I'm bored or sad. I just eat because I really love food." However, if you look closely, an emotional eater doesn't enjoy the entire process of eating at all.

Emotional eaters often have "forbidden" or "bad" foods. They feel guilty about eating certain food. This have lists of what they should eat and what they shouldn't eat. And they often obsess about when to eat or when not to eat. Overall, there are many rules and restrictions around food.

Do you really love food as much as you imagine?

One way to easily tell if you love food as much as you say you do, or if you're eating to cope with life is to notice your style of eating. Below are 14 questions you can use to easily identify when eating is something other than just a love of food. 

1. Do you inhale your food, eating in a hurry?
2. Do you wolf down your food because you're starving?
3. Do you heap mounds of food on your plate?
4. Do you put another bite into your mouth before finishing the last one?
5. Do you shove food in quickly, often using your fingers and often standing up?
6. Do you often have an urgent, panicky need to eat something right away?
7. Are an unconscious eater (eating while doing something else and unaware of eating)?
8. Are you a chaotic eater (over-scheduled life, haphazard eating, or eating whatever food is available)?
9. Are you a free food eater (eat in the presence of free food such as buffets, candy jars, office food, candy bowls, etc.)?
10. Are you a waste not eater, or a member of the clean plate club?
11. Are you a careful eater, analyzing every morsel for calories, weight, and health?
12. Do you skip breakfast and other meals, and then eat all night?
13. Are you a professional dieter?
14. Do you forbid sweets, but then eat them with a vengeance?

If you recognized yourself in one or more of the eating styles listed above, you might be surprised to notice that enjoying your food isn't the motivating factor for your eating. You don't need to become a food connoisseur, but an easy way to add more joy to your life is to take action and make your individual eating experiences more enjoyable. The more you enjoy your food experiences (cooking, shopping, creating, eating, and digesting), the more you enjoy life. And you just might lose weight in the process!

Dr. Annette Colby can help you discover the secrets to losing weight, staying slim, and falling in love with your life all over again! Read Body Redesign: Goal Setting Secrets for a Thinner, Happier You and learn how to make meaningful and thoughtful decisions that feel right-in your heart and in your body! Sign-up today for your FREE subscription to Loving Miracles weekly newsletter at http://www.AnnetteColby.com

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Exploring The Crucial Health Benefits Of Beef

By Keegan M Logan

Beef is any foodie's delight, so much so that it may even amount to an addiction. Regular beef eaters are generally healthy and strong. You may have encountered a guy with a well-sculpted body and inquired about his diet. He says beef, and may have been left wondering what makes beef such a preferred food among all the able-bodied folks around the world, so much so that a muscular guy is termed as being beefed up!

Beef is typically a name given to cow's meat, if you didn't know that already. Like every other animal meat products, beef is also an excellent source of protein, especially lean beef. And protein, as you might know, is crucial for the proper development of muscle tissues. It even forms a necessary source of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, which the body requires in order to convert homocysteine (a potentially dangerous chemical) to benign molecules.

Beef is ideally low in fat, which when combined with its ability to impart vitamin B12 greatly reduces the risk of colon cancer. Organic beef provides selenium and zinc. Selenium is essential for the proper function of glutathione peroxidase, which is an antioxidant that reduces the severity of inflammatory conditions, like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Zinc in turn helps protect the walls of the blood vessels, thus aiding in preventing atherosclerosis. It also helps to run the immune system effectively.

If you are obsessed with your heart and wish to preserve it till old-age and impending death get the better of you, don't think twice before including beef in your diet. That regular dose of the scrumptious steak can help reduce the risk of heart disease, especially if it comes out of grass-fed cows, since it has high amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. It also aids in controlling the total blood cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels.

Additionally, if you are prone to getting bullied around by your seniors, and end up being punched in the face every time, your teeth might be on the verge of falling off. Strengthen them from within by feasting on beef at least three times a week. That is because beef is highly rich in phosphorous and iron. Phosphorous is crucial to strengthen the teeth and the bones, if you didn't know that already. So the next time that the husky bullies catch up with you, you will be physically ready for that incoming punch. The attacker will groan in pain instead! Moreover, the iron contained in the beef helps carry oxygen in blood, to all the cells and muscles effectively, and also aids in preventing fatigue.

Beware of the kind of beef you are having though. As you might have deduced by now, there is the beef produced from pure grass-fed cows, the lean beef, and the common beef. Grass-fed beef may reduce the risk of heart disease, but any other kind of beef may increase the risk instead. Also, the risk of the rectum and colon cancer may be multiplied if the beef is high in saturated fats. Moreover, improperly cooked beef may lead you to food-borne diseases.

Avon Valley Beef Western Australia is committed to producing the highest possible quality meats sourced from local farmers throughout the Avon Valley. If you want to buy beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and more meat stuff, click here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keegan_M_Logan 

Benefits of the Right Fitness and Food Choices

By Anna Greene

Often, people who decide to include exercise and fitness as a regular part of their life are motivated by their own individual reasoning. Some are drawn to muscle building, for example, out of simple vanity. Others have been "prescribed" exercise by a physician as a way to handle chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, obesity and more. There are a host of reasons why people are either drawn to or forced into exercise.

Unfortunately, the one principal motivating factor isn't always enough to motivate people to stay the exercise course. But if you take a look at ALL the benefits that you can gain from regular exercise and healthy eating, you will be far less likely to skip your workouts.

Tons of studies have shown that just by doing regular exercise and eating a balanced diet the average persons self-esteem level increases dramatically. People, nearly across the board, have reported a new found sense of confidence in the work place, in relationships, everywhere.

Very shortly after kicking off a program of sensible eating and steady exercise you will feel an increased level of energy. Through eating good, healthy food and exercising on a regular basis you actually change the way your body functions. Adhering to your program will cause hormonal outputs to change which results in more energy, more of the time.

Likewise you will find that exercise will improve your ability to process things mentally. Much of the more recent research indicates that people who exercise regularly and eat well are less apt to suffer from many of the conditions associated with old age -- Alzheimer's, dementia, etc. Many other people swear that a byproduct of dedicated exercise increases their problem solving abilities.

The medical community has published volumes of studies that show how a solid diet and exercise help prevent a whole host of conditions and diseases. The chance of having a heart attack, for example, is greatly reduced with good eating habits and regular physical activity. The same is true for osteoporosis -- proper exercise and diet improve bone density.

As far as mental health is concerned, with healthy eating and correct exercise the incidence of depression is reduced greatly. The natural endorphin production increases in a healthy, active environment -- this has been proven to minimize the chances of depression.

Another benefit is the overall reduction of stress levels. When people stick to their regimen of exercise and proper eating, the things that might otherwise cause stress and anxiety seem far easier to manage.

These are some of the many benefits of doing things the right way. The next time you feel like backsliding just remind yourself of all the good that healthy eating and exercise is doing you and get back on your horse.

Anna Greene likes to write about assorted interests, such as her new site on the DMC-LX5 Lumix camera.

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Fitness and Food Tips for Baby Boomers

By Melody Weathers

Paul McCartney wrote the Beatles' hit "When I'm Sixty-Four" in 1966, when he himself was just sixteen years old. In 2011, the aging rocker will turn sixty-nine; hopefully by now he's gotten his answer.

When the Baby Boomers sung that song in their teens to their girlfriends and boyfriends, the question "Will you still love me when I'm sixty-four?" seemed to be theoretical in nature. This year, however, the oldest of the Boomers will be celebrating their sixty-fifth birthday - a shocker for the generation that once insisted they would "trust no one over thirty."

Boomers entering their fifties and sixties certainly have a lot to think about as they head towards retirement, but one thing they shouldn't neglect is staying fit. Medical advances almost guarantee that the average Boomer will live longer than his or her parents, but quantity of life means little without quality of life. Quality of life depends upon keeping that aging and oft-abused body fit and trim. Otherwise, Boomers, expect the prescription drugs and surgeries to start pouring in on you. Here are some suggestions for Baby Boomers to improve and maintain their physical and mental health.

How to Lose Weight Fast If You're a Boomer

If you're overweight, your first task in your golden years' health regimen should be to lose weight fast. By your fifties and sixties, however, years of accumulated injuries and the early stages of arthritis might make you grimace when you think about high-intensity cardio workouts. Sound familiar? If so, here are some suggestions for fat-burning workouts that are still easy on the joints.

Cycling - Cycling is often recommended by doctors as a knee-friendly alternative to running. Stationary bikes, in particular, can burn up calories without putting undue pressure on the knees. If you belong to a gym, try out a spin class. These group exercise classes usually last about an hour and provide an excellent way to lose weight fast.

Swimming - Another cardio workout often recommended to people with joint issues is swimming. Swimming works out nearly every part of the body without minimal stress on the joints.

Yoga - Be warned: Not all types of yoga will help you lose weight. What yoga will do for you, though, is help you heal your joints and increase your flexibility so that high-intensity workouts become feasible for you again.

Elliptical machine - The elliptical machine, which looks like a stair step machine that moves in a circular fashion, is not as low-impact on the knees as swimming or cycling, but it is low-impact compared to running. Try out the elliptical machine at your gym to see if it works for you.

Eating Tips for Baby Boomers

When it comes to physical health, exercise is only one half of the equation. The other half of the equation, of course, is food. Fortunately, we know a lot more now about the best way to eat than we did in the 1940s and 50s. Unfortunately, however, the food landscape is fraught with much more danger today than it was when Boomers were growing up. Agribusiness didn't exist yet in the 1950s, and fast food was still in its infancy.

Because the Boomers grew up alongside the food industry, it's understandable that they picked up a lot of bad eating habits. Baby Boomers don't need to become health nuts, but there are a few simple ways Boomers can improve their eating habits:

Stop with the fast food - For people who regularly eat fast food, switching to eating healthy leftovers from their own kitchen is one of the biggest steps they can take towards healthier eating habits.

Switch to water - Drinking filtered water instead of soda or coffee is another way Boomers can cut back on calories and improve health.

Avoid the middle of the grocery store - One easy way to make sure you're buying foods that are good for you is to resolve to shop only on the perimeter of your grocery store. The perimeter of the grocery store is normally where the produce and meat departments are; the middle of the grocery store is stocked with rows and rows of processed foods. If you want to know how to lose weight fast, you would do well to start by eliminating as many foods as you can that emerge from boxes, plastic bags, cans, and jars.

The suggestions above provide a good place to start for Baby Boomers who want to enter their golden years with a healthy body and mind. A few minor lifestyle changes can make a big difference when it comes to your longevity and quality of life. Sixty-four might have once seemed like a long way away, but now that it's just around the corner, don't you think you owe it to yourself to make sure you feel as good at sixty-four as you did at thirty-four?

Melody is a personal trainer and health coach living and working in New York. She has two kids and doesn't want them to be brought up with the lack of knowledge of nutrition that she grew up with. Melody has taken on a few baby boomer clients in recent months and they all seem to want to know the same thing: "How do we get healthy?". Melody has recently started operating howtoloseweightfast.com and wants to build a reputation as somebody who wants to help other people.

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