33 Healthy Lifestyle Tips

1. Daily exercise is one of the most important healthy lifestyle tips. Exercise on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes per day. Brisk walk, aerobics, or just any kind of bodily movement can do wonders for your health.
2. You should sleep 6 to 8 hours per day. This will help your body to replenish itself and gives your body time to rebuild its cells. Lack of sleep make you feel tired and affect your eating habits. Adequate sleep is essential for your overall health and well-being.
3. Eat a well-balanced diet. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Avoid foods that are processed and reduce your intake of foods that are high in fat, sodium and sugar.
4. Maintaining a healthy weight will help you look better and reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
5. Have a positive outlook. People who are positive tend to have better health and success in life then those who are negative thinkers.
6. Maintain a balanced lifestyle. There should be a balance between your work time and your leisure time. Remind yourself, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.”
7. Stop smoking. It is harmful to your health. It can cause heart disease, lungs cancer, and premature aging.
8. Meditation can help reduce stress, because it helps quiet your mind. Even if you just meditate 15 minutes per day, the result will amaze you.
9. Reduce your intake of alcohol. It is best if you could avoid it, but if you cannot, make sure that you only consume alcohol in moderation (a glass of wine or a can of beer per day).
10. Surround yourself with friends and family members who are supportive. A research by Australian scientist suggested that people who have friends that they can count on to be there for them, live longer. (As reported by the BBC news http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4094632.stm)
11. Manage stress by doing meditation, breathing exercises, listening to music, etc. Stress, left not managed, can lead to tension and pain in your body and threaten your health and well-being.
12. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily to help you with the digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, and the elimination of toxins from your body.
13. Take daily vitamins, mineral and herbal supplements to maintain your overall health or deal with your specific health problems.
14. Find things to laugh about on a daily basis. Laughter releases endorphins, boost your immune system, increases blood flow and relaxes your body.
15. Spending 5 to 10 minutes per day to practice deep breathing can improve your overall health. Deep breathing reduces stress, relaxes your muscles, improve your oxygen intake and delivery to all your organs and stimulate your lymphatic system.
16. Avoid your exposure to toxins like pesticides, molds, fungus and heavy metals like lead, mercury, aluminum, etc.
17. Eat complex carbohydrates and avoid simple carbohydrates like white bread, sugar, white rice, etc.
18. Eat organically grown fruits and vegetables, if possible, to avoid getting exposed to pesticides.
19. Life is too short so you should follow your bliss. People who are happy and have a fulfilled life tend to be healthier and live longer.
20. Avoid people who talk about illnesses.
21. Get outside and spend your time in the open air daily, if possible. Exposing yourself to fresh air and sunshine on a daily basis is beneficial to your health.
22. Be appreciative of your life, your health and whatever you have. Gratitude is good for your soul as well as your health.
23. Choose happiness and health. Make it your dominant intention to focus on things that make your life healthy and happy.
24. See yourself healthy and happy in your mind’s eyes.
25. Forgive yourself and others. Bearing grudges is bad for your health and well-being.
26. Remind yourself that it is natural for you to be healthy. Health is your natural state, not sickness.
27. Have a raw food diet day, a day where eat only unprocessed and uncooked foods, once or twice a month. This way you give your body a break from all the food additives and preservatives. Make sure that you consume only organic foods.
28. Try alternative medicine like acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology, etc.
29. Practice yoga. It’s good for both your body and mind.
30. Fasting once in a while is a good way to detox your body and gives your digestive system some time off.
31. Do not worry. Worry will not help you solve your problem and it is not good for your health. Worry is the main causes of many physical ailments that send people to hospitals. Remember that most of the things that you worry about will probably never happen anyway. “Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which will never happen. ~James Russel Lowell”
32. Expect to be healthy and do not expect to be sick.
33. Accept yourself, your capability and your shortcomings.

World Class Fitness Trainers

Kate Staples

Director & trainer Kate is an inspirational sporting figure, whose achievements in athletics include breaking 42 British records, 12 Commonwealth records and achieving a ranking of 8th in the world for indoor athletics in 1996. A mother of three small children, Kate pursued her passion for educating others to live a healthy lifestyle when she created the government-backed Fitness for Life programme in conjunction with Mark UK. She became director of a nationwide schools programme to promote health and fitness among children. Kate trained with Premier training, one of the leading personal training bodies in the UK, and started training a select group of celebrity clients in London. In 2003 Kate gained the only qualification in the world to run Adventure Boot Camp, following an intense training programme in California and was the first person to bring Adventure Boot Camps to the UK. Kate is currently training with Chi Yoga, for a world-class international yoga qualification which she will integrate into the programmes on her fitness camps and retreats.

Daley Thompson

Director Daley was quite simply the world's greatest decathlete. Unbeaten for nine years, he was the first to hold the World, Olympic, Commonwealth and European titles at the same time as well as the world record. Daley was Olympic champion in 1980 and 1984 World champion in 1983; European champion in 1982 and 1986, and Commonwealth champion in 1978, 1982 and 1986. He also set four world records in the most demanding of multi-discipline events. Forced to retire from the decathlon through injury in 1992, Daley went on to play professional football. More recently, he has harnessed his matchless drive and enthusiasm to become a leading ambassador lobbying to bring the 2012 Olympics to London. Daley believes that the combination of challenge, support and inspiration offered by the Adventure Boot camp brings a new dimension to training women at all levels of fitness. He says that he is consistently amazed at the commitment of the clients and the results that can be achieved.

Fighting Cancer the Healthy Way

Lalania Hall was busy raising five sons ranging from age three to 11. She didn’t have time for herself, much less time for cancer. But in April of 2007, Hall was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer.

Under the care of Dr. Kimberly Blackwell, Hall’s oncologist at the Duke Cancer Institute, Hall began her regimen of chemotherapy soon after her diagnosis. Like many cancer patients, she experienced fatigue and aches and pains from the chemotherapy that left her lethargic and stressed.

“I have always been determined and tough, and my service in the Army made me even more disciplined,” explains Hall. “Before I was diagnosed with cancer, I had never asked for help, not even from my husband.”

Pathfinders Program

Recognizing the challenges Hall faced, Dr. Blackwell introduced her to Tina Staley and the Pathfinders Program in hopes that she would find a way to begin taking care of herself.

“I was scared, but I wouldn’t let anyone know,” says Hall. “Tina just held my hand. She has a way of connecting; you feel like she is walking through this with you. She can put your mind at peace.”

One of the first challenges that Hall and Staley addressed was Hall’s unwillingness to accept aid from family and friends.

“Tina helped me realize that it is OK to accept help,” says Hall. “She helped me realize that people don’t know exactly what to do, but they need to do something.”

Hall was able to ease her way into allowing people to help. She formed a team for the American Cancer Society, and her husband’s co-workers joined the team.

“Tina taught me that allowing people to help you is a gift to your friends and family,” says Hall. “My mom wanted to be there for me. I am her baby, and she needed to do something. Now I let her help.”

"In a Good Place"

Eight months after her diagnosis, Hall says that she is in a “good place.”

“I don’t want to say that cancer is the best thing that happened to me,” she says. “But because of Pathfinders, I am healthier than ever. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.”

Together, Staley and Hall have developed a plan that includes exercise, a new diet and stress-relieving activities.

“Soft belly breathing is awesome,” Hall says. “Even before my diagnosis with cancer, I had trouble sleeping through the night. Now, I am able to relax and settle things in my mind.”

According to Staley, there are many spices and foods that a cancer patient can add to his or her diet to help ease the effects of treatment. She suggested that Hall add turmeric, an anti-inflammatory, to her diet to help alleviate her aches, and garlic to boost her immune system.

Hall now receives treatment once a month and comes to Duke for scans every three months.

“Tina meets with me every other week,” says Hall. “If I need her in between times, she is there. I can call her or email. She is my advocate. Tina and Dr. Blackwell have been just wonderful. I call them my guardian angels.”

In the summer of 2007, Hall and her family had the opportunity to move from Durham, North Carolina, to Texas for her husband’s work, but they decided against the move.

“My husband and I talked it over, and we decided that we didn’t want to leave the care that we are receiving here at Duke,” says Hall. “I can’t imagine going through this without Duke and Pathfinders.”

Research Shows Positive Effects

Along with 54 other advanced breast cancer patients, Hall took part in a research study that evaluated the effect of the Pathfinders program on patient experience.

Despite advanced disease state and worsening symptoms, the Pathfinders program had a positive effect on a number of areas including patient distress, despair, and quality of life.

Tips For Relieving Stress - Less Stress Leads To A Healthy Life - Do Not Ignore Stress

1) Eat Healthier

You need to ensure that you nourish your body with the nutrients it needs to combat stress, and limit your intake of foods that aggravate stress. Eat plenty of grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, super-foods, herbs. These extremely healthy foods should be the basis of your diet. Fruits and vegetables is a must if you want to stay healthy for life. If you are concerned about eating a balanced meal despite your efforts, consider taking nutritional supplements. You can take such as vitamins, Vitamins C and minerals, and various antioxidants unless you are getting plenty of these from your regular diet. Animal fats are basically bad and not necessary to a good diet.

2) Exercise

Exercise can be a great stress buster. The heart needs to work hard at least three times a week. Exercise not only can help you to relieve stress, it also has many side effects like helping you sleep, burning calories etc. What kind of exercise is the best? That depends on the individual. Too much exercise can actually suppress the immune system. Try to get about 20 to 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, leaving one or two days for rest and recovery. It is important to drink extra amounts of water when exercising. Exercise not only helps reduce stress, but it can also help you deal with stress long-term.

3) Happy As You Want to Be

To be happy is easy, just decide to do it and remind yourself everyday that you are a happy person. A spiritual connection is another great way to promote happiness. If you are at the work place, just stand up and smile at your colleague in the far corner.

4) Understand the cause of your stress

No one understands your problem better than you do. A few minutes spend to recognize your true feelings can completely change the situation.

5) Get 8 Hours of Sleep

To relieve your stress, the most important technique is to get enough of sleep. Let's face it, nobody gets enough sleep any more. People are usually getting at least two hours less than they need every night, putting them into serious sleep debt. The adult body needs, on average, 8 hours of sleep every night, but most adults get about 6 hours. This does not benefit your body and your mind. In fact, it tends to weaken the mind and make it more susceptible to stress, which is exactly what you want to avoid. So get to bed early and make sure that you are getting the sleep you need every night. There is no longer any doubt that lack of sleep affects the immune system and leads to health problems.

6) OCA Water Pillow

OCA Water Pillow promotes ultimate rest when you sleep. Effective in relieving stress and headache, the water pillow ensures you comfort whether cold or warm.

Remember that health is very important. It is very easy to maintain a healthier life if you just have the knowledge. Everyday we all have to face stresses but they do not have to destroy our lives. Being able to control our stress levels is important to our overall body health. Nothing beats a healthy body and a peaceful mind. Start planning now to relieve your stress and enjoy your wonderful life.

Good Diet, Enough Sleep, & Moderate Exercise - The Secrets to a Healthy Life

It's a sad fact that 99% of people know they should be taking more exercise but most continually put it off until the next day. The thing is tomorrow never comes. If you actually forced your self to take some positive action you would notice a feel good factor almost straight away. This would spur you on to continuing your regime.You don't need to train like a professional athlete to enjoy the benefits of leading a healthier lifestyle.

Three or four 30 minute sessions a week will male a real difference to your health and your outlook. If you don't like jogging then there is always cycling or a gym class.There is no need to feel self conscious as before long your confidence will sky rocket and you will wonder why you didn't take some action years ago.

The one meal I would never forget is breakfast. When you wake up in the morning it is the longest that your body has been without food and to not eat then is like getting in the car in the morning and driving to work with the petrol warning light on. Just eat a balanced and try not to eat too much of one type of food. Try to ensure you eat 5 pieces of fruit and veg a day. Nature was very kind to us and actually color coded these for us. Try and eat a selection of colors, greens, reds, oranges etc to ensure you eat a good selection.

There is no need to cut out all the foods you enjoy. Feel free to treat yourself every once in a while otherwise you may find that a healthy lifestyle is no fun at all and give up. In simple terms to be more healthy you need to ensure you have enough sleep, eat a balances diet (including breakfast) and work out three of four times a week.

Zone diet plan

The Zone diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, fat-controlled eating plan.

This is unlike most high-protein diets as it allows you to have a broader range of foods to be taken.

This diet believes that a human body reaches its efficiency when the body is consuming all meals with carbohydrates, proteins and fats. As such, the body will work within the zone full of energy causing weight loss.

Protein tends to make you feel full and thus helping you to avoid eating in between meals.

The South Beach Diet

One of the top 5 weight loss diet plans in the country today.

It never allows starvation and deprivation of foods.

It is divided into 'three phases'.

- Phase 1

It lasts for about 14 days. This is the strictest phase as there's a strict regulation on what to consume. Carbohydrates are avoided and poultry products, fish, turkey, shellfish that usually eaten with vegetables, nuts, eggs and cheese are to be eaten but in moderation. Coffee and tea is allowed but taken in moderation.

- Phase 2

This phase is much easier than the first. It will last until the desired weight is achieved. The carbohydrates rich foods that were removed from the diet are reintroduced. You can eat brown rice and whole wheat bread but not a white bread.

- Phase 3

This is the phase where your body is already adjusted to start of a way of life that you will have to adopt for a lifetime.