Get Enough Sleep?

It’s Important to Get Your Sleep
Research has shown that not getting enough sleep or getting poor quality sleep on a consistent basis may increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and inflammation. There is even evidence suggesting that weight gain is associated with getting inadequate sleep, possibly by disrupting hormones that regulate appetite.  Most adults need between 7–9 hours each night.

~ Thanks to Eastman Health & Wellness Tip of the Day

Do prescription Drug Costs Bother You?

Here’s a cute cartoon, but keep your blood pressure down.
 

Have a great Day. Keep on that diet and exercise regiment. Make it a habit for life!

A Month After Christmas Poem

‘Twas the month after Christmas, And all through the house, Nothing would fit me, Not even a blouse. The cookies I'd nibbled, The chocolate I'd taste At the holiday parties Had gone to my waist. When I got on the scales There arose such a number! When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber), I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared; The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared, The wine, and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please." As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt And prepared once again to do battle with dirt... I said to myself, as I only can, "You can't spend a winter, disguised as a man!" So, away with the last of the sour cream dip. Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip. Every last bit of food that I like must be banished Till all the additional ounces have vanished. I won't have a cookie, not even a lick. I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick. I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie. I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry. I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore... But isn't that what January is for? Unable to giggle, no longer a riot. Happy New Year to all, and to all a good diet

Author Unknown, but many thanks to
Charlie and Faye for sending this to me.

Howdy!

A Flu Bug?
I hope you all have been doing than me health wise… It seems I came down with a strange flu bug or something that only gave me fever, chills, lack of energy, and no appetite. It started on Jan 15 and as of today I am feeling much better. Still not completely up to par, but better. One night my fever got up to 103.5! and every night I would sweat profusely at times. One night I had to change tee shirts 5 times because they were soaking wet. I’m glad I’m thru that. Last night was a 2 shirt night (one change).

How Your Health Focus for 2009?
I hope you got off to a good start for 2009, but if you did not, don’t worry. It’s not too late to set some realistic goals and a plan for achieving those goals.

When you think of setting health goals, be sure not to focus solely on one thing that may help in one area but hurt you in another. For example, you work on weight loss so hard, that your overall health declines say to not eating the right foods.

Be positive about your goals:
Say, “ I will!” Don’t say, “Will I?”

And don’t forget about the scoreboards in the side panel. Now there’s only two, one for me and one for Sue, but there’s room for many more. Just let me know your start date, your goal, and a weekly or bi-weekly status report. I’ll do the rest.

 

Quote
A diet is the penalty we pay for exceeding the feed limit. 
~Author Unknown

The New Year is Here

I like to have goals for the new year. And what could be better than to have goals to improve one’s health.

What about 2008 
This past year (2008) I made progress. When all is said and done, I lost almost 40 pounds last year. I had a little backsliding toward the end of the year. That was due to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and partly because I had to stop my exercise in December.

I had a heart attack last December. Does that mean my health efforts during the year were not effective. No! If I had not been exercising and if I had not lost weight, that last heart attack could have been fatal. Instead it was a minor heart attack with no damage to the heart.

2009 Comes with Resolutions
For this year I am going to target for a loss of 40 pounds, and that’s on top of what I lost last year. To accomplish this I’m planning control calorie input to a reasonable level, around 1500 calories per day.

I also have goals for exercise. I plan to complete 4-5 hours of cardio exercise every week (via the elliptical trainer or stationary bicycle). I also plant to do a balanced weight lifting regiment 3 times per week. The weight work is not to build bulky muscles, but to maintain muscle tone and bone density.

Scoreboards
I’ll maintain a scoreboard of my weight loss in the side panel. And if you want me to add your scorecard to the side panel, please let me know.

Something Funny

Good to Remember
Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork.
~English Proverb