Weight Management Tips

WholeLife Matrix: Health and WellBeing - Nutrition and Weight - Weight Management

"The key to keeping weight off after a diet is incorporating habits of sound nutrition, regular exercise, and reasonable expectations that you can stick to for a lifetime." - Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, clinical associate professor at Boston University

It is important to manage your weight to live a healthy and happy lifestyle.   Here are some tips for looking and feeling your best!

1. Enjoy Daily Exercise

Exercising regularly will boost your mood and concentration, reduce stress, and help keep your mind and body healthy.  Pick types of exercise that you enjoy doing and can continue to do on a regular basis.  There are many options such as running, biking, swimming, and tennis.  You do not need to do strenuous exercise to lose weight or to maintain your weight.  Just walking for twenty minutes a day can help you to lose weight or to maintain your weight. Regular exercise will help you to burn fat, feel less hungry, and stay fit. It is also important to get sufficient sleep to regulate our body.

2. Drink Plenty of Water

Drinking 6 to 8 glasses of fluids every day will help keep you from overeating and will keep you hydrated.  Try to avoid sugary drinks. Drinking tea can also help. It has been shown to prevent dental decay, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis. There are a variety of teas that are recommended for weight loss.

3. Fill Up on Fiber

The recommended daily intake for fiber is 25-30 grams. High fiber foods include whole grain breads and cereals, whole wheat pasta and rice, dried beans, fruits and vegetables.  Four to five cups of fruits or vegetables are recommended for each day.  They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber and naturally low in calories and fat. Fiber helps you to eat less and curbs hunger by filling you up faster.  Eating a salad before your meal or a cup or bowl of vegetable soup can reduce calories by ten percent.  Also, soluble fiber can lower your cholesterol.  

4. Low Carb Diet

It is good to have a low carbohydrate diet because carbohydrates can raise your blood sugar level, increasing your insulin, which causes your body to store fat.  With a low carb diet, you won’t be hungry between meals because you will be burning fat.

5. Including Dairy

Including three servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese a day can help your burn fat and lose weight.  Dairy products are a good source of vitamin D and calcium.

6. Control Your Portions

Portion your meals in a calorie-conscious way thinking of both the quality and the quantity of the calories you will be consuming. Carefully counting calories may help you to lose weight, but for the long run, you need to learn to manage your portions to control your calorie intake. To control your portions, try to use smaller to medium sized plates. One quarter of your plate should include a palm-sized portion of lean protein such as fish or chicken (about 3 ounces).  Another quarter of your plate should contain unrefined grain such as brown rice (about the size of your fist).  Half of your plate should be filled with various colorful vegetables.  Eat your food slowly to enjoy your meal and to allow time for your body to signal that it has had enough.  If you still feel hungry after you have finished eating your portions, wait 20 minutes.  If you are still hungry, eat a piece of fruit, some more vegetables, or a tossed salad.

In the WholeLife Matrix, we have four aspects for developing and accessing weight management: 

1.  Weight Monitoring

2.  Exercise

3.  Body Mass Index

4.  Stability Over Time

7. Managing Your Calories

Do not skip meals.  Eat three meals a day and snacks to fuel your body so that it will work efficiently throughout the day.  Eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism and consume most of your calories in the first half of the day.  You will need less calories during the evenings when you are less active.  Check your weight on a scale if this encourages you and helps you to make sure that your weight is not going back up.  Weight fluctuates daily and hourly so it is recommended that you weigh yourself once a week. You can also tell if you are gaining or losing weight by how well your clothes fit.  Keeping a food log of what you are eating each day and the approximate number of calories for each food can help you keep track of how much you are eating and how healthy the foods are.  You can also include your exercise plan and weight goals.

Are you ready to win?

Community Beautification

Matrix Key: Personal Awareness - Community - Beautification

"Ugliness is so grim.  A little beauty, something that is lovely, I think, can help create harmony which will lessen tensions." - Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson fought for improving city neighborhoods throughout Washington DC - high traffic tourist areas and dilapidated inner city neighborhoods received equal support. She recognized that a neighborhood's appearance did not just reflect the status of the neighborhood, but could also influence the status of the neighborhood.  

Bringing a little beauty into the situation makes everything brighter, happier, livelier. Whether fixing up the first house in a run down Detroit neighborhood, or planting wildflowers on an empty lot, bringing new life to an area brings new life to everyone in the area. People have something positive to talk about, a reason to engage with a smile or a laugh.

I have identified four elements of bringing more life to your community:

1. Public spaces
2. Common Areas
3. Beautification
4. Environmental Impact

Maybe you are motivated to start a project on your own street, or join a community-wide effort.  From your local school or scout troop, to your city government, to a nationwide organization such as Habitat for Humanity, opportunities abound. Reach out and make a new friend, make a positive impact, and create something that brings beauty to your community.

Are you ready to Win?

What makes a good leader?

WholeLife Matrix: Financial Viability – Resource Management - People – Leadership

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

 —John Maxwell.”

When you think of a good leader, what qualities come to mind? How does this person connect, communicate, follow through on commitments and treat others? Good leaders have similar characteristics whether they are in business, politics, religion, or sports. Good leaders are not born, but made, and to become a good leader, you must start by leading yourself first.

1.  Create Win-Win Situations

A good leader has a vision for the future that encompasses the good of all. He or she does not want to win at the cost of loss to others but wants to succeed while helping others to succeed as well. This is a primary difference between good and bad leadership. Good leaders understand that you get back what you give, so they focus on being as positive as possible and giving positive energy to others. They are not complacent about things that may not be working but move ahead to find and implement solutions for the betterment of themselves and others.

2.  Courage to Do Things Differently

Good leaders have the courage to take the path less traveled by to explore new ways of doing things. They know that doing things the same way as has been done before will not lead them to discover new ideas and solutions, so they embrace the challenge of exploring new possibilities and taking new paths. They have the courage to face the unfamiliar and keep the faith even in the face of pressure, or when things look hopeless. They take the road of honesty, truth, love and non-violence.

3.  Motivate and Inspire Others

Often, people need motivation, encouragement, and inspiration to get to the next level, whether it is on a business level, such as encouraging an employee, or on a personal level. Great leaders take the initiative to create positive support and give hope, life, and joy in the face of hopelessness and despair. 'Inspiration' means 'breathing life into', which is what a great leader does for people.

4.  Effective Communication Skills

A good leader communicates well with people, connects with them and builds bridges. He or she is approachable, connects people with others and touches their lives. People respect a good leader because they know that the leader will take action and will do as he or she says.

5.  Create Next Generation of Leaders

Good leaders train the next generation and next level of leaders to continue their legacy and encourage leadership qualities in them. They guide and encourage the younger generation so that when it is time to step down, good leadership will continue. It is important to train the next generation of leaders so that they can match the performance of the previous leaders and keep the organization running smoothly.

Are you ready to win?