6 Healthy Choices You Can Make TODAY!

Sometimes life can be overwhelming and the notion of thinking about your own health feels like the one thing that will send you over the edge to insanity.  Pause.  Take a deep breath.  Focusing on your health does not have to feel like a burden or a huge time stealer.  I've found that it can be the exact opposite - it can be easy!  It can actually be fun.  Here are seven  healthy choices that you can make today.

1) ADD MOVEMENT TO YOUR DAY
These are ideas that I imagine you have heard a thousand times and probably rolled your eyes at the suggestion a time or two.  I know I did, but then I actually tried them and found that they are easy to accomplish.  Park at the far end of the parking lot.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Set your phone to prompt yourself to take a break and walk around your office or down the street and back.

2) EAT A PIECE OF FRESH FRUIT
The health benefits of fruit are amazing.  Fruit can impact your health in ways such as boosting your mood, keeping you regular and strengthening your bones!  I make it a point to eat fresh fruit at least once a day and now I crave it.

3) DRINK MORE WATER
Replace one can of pop or cup of coffee with a glass of water - just one!  I love to buy myself fun colorful plastic cups.  Getting a new cup every few months adds some pizazz to that water.  You can find great ones in the dollar stores!  You can also combine suggestion two and three by adding fresh fruit to your water to give it some taste. 

4) SCHEDULE A ME DAY
Take a moment to look at your calendar and find a day or half a day or two hours that you can block off for yourself (Don't forget to request the time off of work if you need to do that!).  I try to do this once a quarter.  Sometimes I take off an entire day and spend it in my PJ's binge watching TV.  Other times I might take two hours off and go for a walk in the park or sit in a coffee shop and read my book.  Planning ahead ensures that I do it and it gives me something special to look forward to.

5) TRY SOMETHING NEW
When is the last time that you tried something new?  A new recipe?  A new class at the gym?  Walking in a new park?  A new route home from work?  A new flavor of ice cream?  It doesn't have to be a big thing to add a little excitement to your day and give you a boost of energy.

6) 10 MINUTES OF FREESTYLE DANCING
I recently attended a workshop on Dancing and Dementia.  Research on the impact of unchoreographed dancing on the brain is unbelievable!  10 minutes of freestyle dancing a day had a greater impact on brain health than completing a crossword puzzle everyday.  Plus, you get a little cardio workout in.  Go ahead - put on your favorite song and shake it!  Another bonus - I bet your family joins in!

You might be thinking that these are all small things and that doing one of these today won't impact your health at all.  I disagree.  After doing one thing, you are going to feel good.  I bet that you will feel so good that you will be inspired to make another healthy choice.  And then another.  And another.  All of those small healthy choices will add up to a big impact on your health.  Don't believe me?  I challenge you to try it.  Trust me - it will work!

If you give any of these ideas a try, I'd love to hear from you!  Leave a comment below to let me know what you tried and how it went.  Or you might make a simple healthy choice that I didn't mention - I'd love to hear your ideas!    

6 Easy Ways to Move More at Work

It's time to close my laptop and head out to my car.  Let's go home!  On my way out, I nervously glance down at my Fitbit.  I've avoided looking at it all day because I know that number is small.  My day consisted of meetings, 1:1's with my staff and a lot of time at my desk.  I barely moved at all!

That scene was becoming way too routine for me.   As a result, I was stiff and mentally groggy at the end of the day.  My body hurt.  I decided that I need to be purposeful in adding movement to my day.  The Adult Day Health Center where I work is a small building so classic ideas like taking the stairs instead of the elevator aren't an option (there are no stairs!), but there are ways that I could help myself move more.

1) Put down the phone and go talk to the person face-to-face.  Between phone calls, e-mail and texting, it would be easy to go for long stretches of time without talking to someone face-to-face.  Besides increasing your movement I bet that this will improve your relationships with your co-workers. 

2) Print out your work on a different printer.  I have a private printer in my office, but I also have access to the public printer.  For items that don't need to be kept confidential, I'll use the public printer.  I have to leave my office and walk to pick up those papers.

3) Use the bathroom that is farthest away from you.  Just plan wisely so you have enough time to get there!

4) Use a coffee mug or small water bottle during the day.  I had been using a fairly large plastic cup to ensure that I would drink water during the day.  My co-worker drinks out of a small coffee mug.  One day I suggested to him that he get a larger mug or a water bottle to drink from during the day.  His reasoning for using that coffee mug makes a lot of sense - the smaller glass forces him to get up and refill his mug often throughout the day causing him to get up and move.

5) Take a lap!  If I have a day where I am sitting in my office for long periods of time, I'll set my phone timer for 45 minutes.  When it goes off, I get up and walk a lap around the large room that makes up our Adult Day Center.  That gives me a chance to stretch and an opportunity to interact with our clients and my staff.

6) Invite a co-worker to take a walk over lunch.  There are two great aspects to this idea besides adding movement to your day.  Inviting someone to join you adds accountability and gives you an opportunity to take your mind off of work and socialize.  There have been many times I've popped into our breakroom and several staff members are sitting in there in silence playing on their phones.

These ideas sound simple, but how often does a day go by that I don't do any of them?  More than I'd like to admit.  The key is being purposeful about it.  Making a conscious effort to get up and move.  Making healthy choices is a daily thoughtful decision.  It's something I have to do everyday.  So TODAY I choose to add more movement to my day!  Let's get up and go!

Letterboxing: Active, Inexpensive & Creative Fun for Your Family

I'm always on the lookout for FUN, FAMILY-Oriented activities that are FREE and focus on FITNESS in some capacity.  Several years ago I learned about Letterboxing through an article in Family Fun Magazine and instantly fell in love with it!  Letterboxing fits all four of my criteria - it's a lot of FUN, the entire FAMILY can participate, it's basically FREE and you can't do it sitting on your couch (there's the FITNESS focus!). 

Letterboxing (similar to geocaching minus the use of a GPS or compass) is a treasure hunt.  You follow clues that lead you to a hidden box.  There are thousands of boxes hidden all over the world in places such as the woods, coffee shops, cemeteries, ballparks, and even highway rest stops.  Some are easy to find while others involve a several mile hike or bike ride.  Clues can be found at www.letterboxing.org or on the "Letterboxing North America" Facebook page. 

My family on a Letterboxing adventure in

Mosquito Lake State Park in Cortland, Ohio

Before starting out on your first hunt, you'll need to gather or purchase a few items:
1) a journal - This can be a simple spiral notebook or a fancy journal.  Choose whatever works best for you and your family's budget! 
2) a rubber stamp - On the Letterboxing website there are instructions about making your own rubber stamp or you can buy one at a craft store.  You can also find them at the dollar store!  The website encourages you to make or buy one that symbolizes your family.  The stamp that we use is a country-style patchwork heart with four different patterns in the heart. 
3) an ink pad - This can be purchased at the craft store, any office supply store or also found at the dollar store.
4) a pen (You can Letterbox without the other three items, but I'd at least make sure you have a pen with you!)

Once you've selected a box to look for, print out the directions or bookmark it on your phone (Keep in mind, that in some wooded locations you may not have access to the internet!) and head out to begin the fun!  When you locate the box you are searching for, you'll find a journal and a rubber stamp.  You'll stamp your stamp in the box's journal and the box's stamp in your journal along with writing a brief note.  It's neat to look through the journal to see how many other people have found that box and where they are from.

JJ found the Letterbox we were searching for

inside the trunk of a fallen tree.

Writing in the Letterbox's journal

Besides the fitness aspect of Letterboxing, there is also the educational aspect - problem solving, math and history to name a few!  Plus, your family can also create and hide your own Letterbox.  That's something I'd like my family to do someday.

We've been Letterboxing since JJ and Ellie were little.  While they grumble a bit when I mention Letterboxing today, as you can see from the pictures, once we get started they still get into the excitement of the hunt!

I encourage you to give it a try.  I know your family will enjoy it as much as we do.  Happy Hunting!

Re-Define Exercise

As I SAT on my bed watching tonight's episode of Biggest Loser I was challenged to think of the excuses I had used to not work out today. Pittsburgh traffic combined with a couple of snow flakes added over an hour to my commute home so I missed Zumba.  After picking JJ up from basketball practice I was so cold when I walked in the door that I couldn't imagine going back out to head to the Y.  The new season of my favorite show was starting tonight and even though I DVR'd it, I didn't want to be up too late.  Those sound like great excuses.

Then I was reminded of something I learned early on in  my journey of improved health - Exercise is simply increased movement.  By changing my definition of exercise from having to do heart pounding, sweat dripping, breath stealing aerobics for an hour to simply increasing my movement, the guilt that used to come with not "exercising" was gone.  Don't get me wrong - it's important and necessary to do the heart pounding, sweat dripping, breath stealing aerobic exercise, but there is also benefit to moving more than before. 

Since making that realization two years ago, I've been having a lot of fun discovering different ways to add movement to my day.  And it is SO easy!!  I park far away from the entrance to the grocery store.  I take the steps instead of the elevator.  I dance around while doing the dishes.  I raise my toes while sitting in meetings.  I use the copier at the far end of the office.  I walk around the school or track while my kids are at sports' practices.  Even when time is tight, I can find a way to add more movement to my day.

So tonight, I got up off the bed, grabbed my exercise band and did arm exercises while Bob screamed at his team on the treadmills.  I marched in place while Dulvett challenged his team to step it up.  Did I break a sweat?  No.  Did I burn calories?  Yes.  Do I feel guilty for not running today?  No.  Did I exercise today?  YES!  

Think about that - how can you increase your movement today?