What are your healthy lifestyle habits?

Kelt · 09-20-2013, 01:50 PM

One habit I cultivate is to know what I am putting in my body.

I am one of those folks who tracks what I eat. While I know most folks don't, doing it for just a day or two can be very educational to say the least. Even without, occasionally looking up what is in a food item can be interesting.

Today I stumbled across a source that I never would have thought of but it is interesting. In checking the nutritional data on lentils this site popped up. It is from Self magazine of all things

but really complete. It shows the standard nutrition label but also gives good snapshot looks at other factors like glycemic load, amino acid balance, protein quality, and nutrient balance, on easy to visualize charts. The nutritional density rating is a really interesting tool. Also breakdowns of vitamins and minerals.

Bon appétit!

SirLucian · 09-20-2013, 01:52 PM

Stay active
lots of fruit and veggies

deb_U_taunt · 09-20-2013, 02:02 PM

Great link! Thank you and straight to one of my favorite foods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelt

One habit I cultivate is to know what I am putting in my body.

I am one of those folks who tracks what I eat. While I know most folks don't, doing it for just a day or two can be very educational to say the least. Even without, occasionally looking up what is in a food item can be interesting.

Today I stumbled across a source that I never would have thought of but it is interesting. In checking the nutritional data on lentils this site popped up. It is from Self magazine of all things

but really complete. It shows the standard nutrition label but also gives good snapshot looks at other factors like glycemic load, amino acid balance, protein quality, and nutrient balance, on easy to visualize charts. The nutritional density rating is a really interesting tool. Also breakdowns of vitamins and minerals.

Bon appétit!

Gemme · 09-20-2013, 07:32 PM

A few months ago....around the time of my birthday....I decided I really didn't like being the weight I was. I'm short and every pound feels and looks like much more on my frame. I didn't like the way I felt when I moved and I certainly didn't like growing out of my clothes. I also didn't like my inability to do things that I thought I should be able to do and/or not do them as well and gracefully as I thought I should.

So, I decided to do this whole 'healthier' thing again ("Healthy" feels like a black/white thing...like you either are or aren't. Healthier says "I'm trying" and sometimes that's all you can ask of yourself).

I won't ever be as dedicated as some of you are because I will not give up sugar. Notice, I said 'will not'. I can, of course. It's a small matter of willpower. But I won't do it. However, I did decrease my sugar consumption quite a bit and when I do eat and candy and sweets, I actually eat the true portion sizes, not what I think should be a portion (strangely enough, whole bags are not often '1 portion'....who knew?).

I've exchanged fatty/greasy/goal-eroding foods with lighter and mostly yummy options (there have been a few lessons learned in this department). I've learned that I can, indeed, eat chicken without the skin. Again, who knew?

I've increased my water intake and decreased my soda consumption. I readily admit to being a soda fiend. But 1-2 cans a day is certainly better for me than 4-6, no? I also mostly buy those lil baby cans that are about 100 calories per can and that still counts as 1 even though it's smaller than my usual cans. And sometimes my '1' is just a fraction of the can/bottle. But if I were to say 'no more' and deprive myself of the sweet stuff, I'd fail for sure.

I take more time when I eat and I try to gauge what it is that I am actually doing when I eat. Am I eating for fuel? Am I hungry or am I feeding something else? Am I upset, angry, sad, lonely, bored?

I move my body much more. I missed that. Being sedentary grows on you like a tumor and the weight of inactivity is far heavier than anything I will ever lift in the gym. I'm developing more of an appreciation for my body and noticing things that probably wouldn't have occurred to me if I weren't attached to an Arc trainer for an hour. Things like, my wrists are sexy when they are sweaty. That's not something that typically comes up in self-image discussions, but I know I sure feel better and stronger and more powerful when I glance down and see my effort gleaming like a diamond sheen on my skin.

I have a new wardrobe!!! I'm a bit of a packrat and this has come in handy lately as I've been falling out of my work pants. lol I absolutely LURVE that.

Music. I listen to music while I work out and, when I'm a dolt and I forget my MP3 player, it's not the same. Music motivates me and keeps me going when I feel my resolve and energy slipping. Music wakes me up when I'm sleepy and calms me down when I'm upset or trying to get to sleep.

Sleep. It's been mentioned several times and there's a reason for it. Everything gets wonky when we don't have enough sleep. Cortisol levels go up, crankiness ensues and that just makes for a bad day.

Sex. Whatever/whoever/whenever. Just make sure you have some, whether it's with yourself, an appliance or someone else.

Finding my happy. I've got a good handle on this but I'm open to learning about other things that make me happy. Sometimes it's crafty things, sometimes it's arranging the apartment, sometimes it's just me snuggling on the sofa with my silky pillows watching TV. Different things for different days.

And, with the Reunion coming up, I'm increasing my intake of Airborne.

Bèsame* · 09-20-2013, 10:17 PM

Its all about the choices you choose to put in your mouth

PoeticSilence · 09-21-2013, 02:55 AM

Having become recently disabled (lymphedema, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression) I've had to learn some new things. The main things I have to be careful of is knowing my limits, not being able to walk further than ten to fifteen feet (assisted, i.e. with a walker or cane) and unable to stand in place for more than five minutes.

I do a lot of exercises in bed since I'm in bed a lot of the time during the day.

I have a shower chair (backless) that I can sit on and do all of my stretching, which I do three times a day.

The wife cooks for me and I'm not a big eater. My snacks are the problem, I will eat a whole can of wasabi flavoured pistachios, or a whole can of mixed nuts, etc. She has to limit my snacks (not too hard, just put them where I can't get them) She also buys weight watchers ice cream bars for snacks.

I used to have a fluid issue regarding my intake of fluids, I haven't had that trouble in a few years, but for a long time I was drinking double what most people did and would still be thirsty. Nope..NOT diabetic.

I gave up smoking, not even an issue. I have oxygen added to my bipap machine that is supposed to help with healing in my legs, seems to help me with alertness.

I don't meditate per se, but I do practice thoughtfulness. I pick a few subjects and I give them a lot of thought. If it's pain, then that's what I think about, different ways to approach it, how it affects me, how it makes me feel, how I let it affect me outwardly, etc.

I don't plan to have this forever. I know it's spreading, and it is incurable, and it never "goes away" but I wasn't expecting it, and it doesn't fit into my future plans, so I'm not planning on having this illness forever.

Rockinonahigh · 09-21-2013, 04:01 PM

I just watch waht I eat,drink as much water as I want wich is probly not enough but I also drink unsweet tea.I use to drink a 12 pack of coke a day so I cut it down to a couple wich often I end up caping the bottle for the next day.Veggies are the mainstay of my food plan,yougurt is something I like and often eat insted of a meal or with fruit or cottage cheese with som kind of fruit.I have bran flakes or captain crunch with enough milk to wet it down with.I cut my red meat consumption way down and now eat fish or chicken.I have a nasty sweet tooth so I need to be careful about it so far I do pretty well staying away fron them,now with halloween comeing then the hollidays it will become a battle to not fall off the wagon cause I like to cook the favorites of the season so I use a diabetic cook book so I can keep it as real as I can.My down fall is usely sweet potato pie or pecan pie,when I eat sweets I drink lots of water to flush it out as quick as possable.I have lost 80 pounds over the last couple of years,even tho i'm down to 250 I still want to get to my goal wight of 200.The doc says It's still not enough I will stick to that goal,if I get past that great if not i'm ok with it.My doc is skinny as a broom stick and really beleaves everyone should be...I do not think that way so as long as some weigh is fallin off I am ok with how things are going.I also workout 3 to4 days a week enough for the workout to be a shade more than moderate amount.I tryed to do harder workouts but it caused to many problems with my pain leval or pops something out wich isn't cool either.

Kelt · 09-25-2013, 11:34 AM

There are so many ways the sleep is critical for all of us. A few years ago I spent several months changing my sleep habits away from what had become 6 hours a night, and revamped it to 7.5 regularly. It has made an enormous difference in my health both physically and mentally.

This article is a good refresher course on the basics.

Hacking sleep: Engineering a high quality, restful night

In case you haven’t heard, sleep is absolutely crucial to your health. With a few simple strategies, you can get the high-quality, restful sleep your body and your mind deserves.

Introduction;
Sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise when it comes to improving your health, performance, and body composition.

Good sleep helps our bodies and minds recover, keeping us lean, happy, mentally focused, and healthy.

But chronically bad sleep slathers on body fat, screws up our hormones, ages us faster, increases chronic illnesses, and drains our IQ and mojo.

Fortunately, research also shows that returning to adequate sleep can quickly reduce these risks.

So how do we go about getting that replenishing shut-eye?

Read the rest of this article....

09-20-2013, 01:52 PM	#2
SirLucian Member How Do You Identify?: Revenant I Have Become Indestructible Preferred Pronoun?: Vampir Relationship Status: Ageless One / My Coven, Commanding an Embodied Authority Not Ruled By External Opinions Or Behaviors Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: What Happens at the lake Stays at the lake Posts: 271 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,132 Thanked 560 Times in 166 Posts Rep Power: 12820355	Stay active lots of fruit and veggies __________________ The Animal I am Welcome to My Lair Leave the world at the door There is a certain Darkness here Rock Walls Dripping with anticipation Life is too long to Live alone Family is Everything

09-20-2013, 07:32 PM	#4
Gemme Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Queer Stone Femme Girl of the Unicorn Variety Preferred Pronoun?: She, as in 'She's a GEM' Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: The roads are narrow here Posts: 36,631 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 182,498 Thanked 107,932 Times in 25,667 Posts Rep Power: 21474888	A few months ago....around the time of my birthday....I decided I really didn't like being the weight I was. I'm short and every pound feels and looks like much more on my frame. I didn't like the way I felt when I moved and I certainly didn't like growing out of my clothes. I also didn't like my inability to do things that I thought I should be able to do and/or not do them as well and gracefully as I thought I should. So, I decided to do this whole 'healthier' thing again ("Healthy" feels like a black/white thing...like you either are or aren't. Healthier says "I'm trying" and sometimes that's all you can ask of yourself). I won't ever be as dedicated as some of you are because I will not give up sugar. Notice, I said 'will not'. I can, of course. It's a small matter of willpower. But I won't do it. However, I did decrease my sugar consumption quite a bit and when I do eat and candy and sweets, I actually eat the true portion sizes, not what I think should be a portion (strangely enough, whole bags are not often '1 portion'....who knew?). I've exchanged fatty/greasy/goal-eroding foods with lighter and mostly yummy options (there have been a few lessons learned in this department). I've learned that I can, indeed, eat chicken without the skin. Again, who knew? I've increased my water intake and decreased my soda consumption. I readily admit to being a soda fiend. But 1-2 cans a day is certainly better for me than 4-6, no? I also mostly buy those lil baby cans that are about 100 calories per can and that still counts as 1 even though it's smaller than my usual cans. And sometimes my '1' is just a fraction of the can/bottle. But if I were to say 'no more' and deprive myself of the sweet stuff, I'd fail for sure. I take more time when I eat and I try to gauge what it is that I am actually doing when I eat. Am I eating for fuel? Am I hungry or am I feeding something else? Am I upset, angry, sad, lonely, bored? I move my body much more. I missed that. Being sedentary grows on you like a tumor and the weight of inactivity is far heavier than anything I will ever lift in the gym. I'm developing more of an appreciation for my body and noticing things that probably wouldn't have occurred to me if I weren't attached to an Arc trainer for an hour. Things like, my wrists are sexy when they are sweaty. That's not something that typically comes up in self-image discussions, but I know I sure feel better and stronger and more powerful when I glance down and see my effort gleaming like a diamond sheen on my skin. I have a new wardrobe!!! I'm a bit of a packrat and this has come in handy lately as I've been falling out of my work pants. lol I absolutely LURVE that. Music. I listen to music while I work out and, when I'm a dolt and I forget my MP3 player, it's not the same. Music motivates me and keeps me going when I feel my resolve and energy slipping. Music wakes me up when I'm sleepy and calms me down when I'm upset or trying to get to sleep. Sleep. It's been mentioned several times and there's a reason for it. Everything gets wonky when we don't have enough sleep. Cortisol levels go up, crankiness ensues and that just makes for a bad day. Sex. Whatever/whoever/whenever. Just make sure you have some, whether it's with yourself, an appliance or someone else. Finding my happy. I've got a good handle on this but I'm open to learning about other things that make me happy. Sometimes it's crafty things, sometimes it's arranging the apartment, sometimes it's just me snuggling on the sofa with my silky pillows watching TV. Different things for different days. And, with the Reunion coming up, I'm increasing my intake of Airborne. __________________ Gemme's Journal I'm misunderestimated.

09-20-2013, 10:17 PM	#5
Bèsame* Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Femm Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: loved by many Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Closer to the waves Posts: 15,387 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 29,131 Thanked 40,951 Times in 10,737 Posts Rep Power: 21474864	Its all about the choices you choose to put in your mouth __________________ kisses A kiss is a whisper in your mouth. Can I borrow a kiss? I promise to give it back.

09-21-2013, 02:55 AM	#6
PoeticSilence Member How Do You Identify?: dodges labels Relationship Status: Estranged Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Midwest Posts: 454 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 3 Thanked 919 Times in 277 Posts Rep Power: 10661585	Having become recently disabled (lymphedema, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression) I've had to learn some new things. The main things I have to be careful of is knowing my limits, not being able to walk further than ten to fifteen feet (assisted, i.e. with a walker or cane) and unable to stand in place for more than five minutes. I do a lot of exercises in bed since I'm in bed a lot of the time during the day. I have a shower chair (backless) that I can sit on and do all of my stretching, which I do three times a day. The wife cooks for me and I'm not a big eater. My snacks are the problem, I will eat a whole can of wasabi flavoured pistachios, or a whole can of mixed nuts, etc. She has to limit my snacks (not too hard, just put them where I can't get them) She also buys weight watchers ice cream bars for snacks. I used to have a fluid issue regarding my intake of fluids, I haven't had that trouble in a few years, but for a long time I was drinking double what most people did and would still be thirsty. Nope..NOT diabetic. I gave up smoking, not even an issue. I have oxygen added to my bipap machine that is supposed to help with healing in my legs, seems to help me with alertness. I don't meditate per se, but I do practice thoughtfulness. I pick a few subjects and I give them a lot of thought. If it's pain, then that's what I think about, different ways to approach it, how it affects me, how it makes me feel, how I let it affect me outwardly, etc. I don't plan to have this forever. I know it's spreading, and it is incurable, and it never "goes away" but I wasn't expecting it, and it doesn't fit into my future plans, so I'm not planning on having this illness forever. __________________ Love is all you need. Last edited by PoeticSilence; 09-21-2013 at 02:59 AM. Reason: added identifiers

09-20-2013, 01:50 PM	#1
Kelt Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Beach Butch Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 2,751 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 19,765 Thanked 15,287 Times in 2,538 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	One habit I cultivate is to know what I am putting in my body. I am one of those folks who tracks what I eat. While I know most folks don't, doing it for just a day or two can be very educational to say the least. Even without, occasionally looking up what is in a food item can be interesting. Today I stumbled across a source that I never would have thought of but it is interesting. In checking the nutritional data on lentils this site popped up. It is from Self magazine of all things but really complete. It shows the standard nutrition label but also gives good snapshot looks at other factors like glycemic load, amino acid balance, protein quality, and nutrient balance, on easy to visualize charts. The nutritional density rating is a really interesting tool. Also breakdowns of vitamins and minerals. Bon appétit!

09-21-2013, 04:01 PM	#7
Rockinonahigh Senior Member How Do You Identify?: stone butch Preferred Pronoun?: makes no diffrence,I know who I am. Relationship Status: single,maybe looking if the right person comes along. Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: shreveport,Louisiana Posts: 4,907 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,682 Thanked 14,933 Times in 3,938 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	I just watch waht I eat,drink as much water as I want wich is probly not enough but I also drink unsweet tea.I use to drink a 12 pack of coke a day so I cut it down to a couple wich often I end up caping the bottle for the next day.Veggies are the mainstay of my food plan,yougurt is something I like and often eat insted of a meal or with fruit or cottage cheese with som kind of fruit.I have bran flakes or captain crunch with enough milk to wet it down with.I cut my red meat consumption way down and now eat fish or chicken.I have a nasty sweet tooth so I need to be careful about it so far I do pretty well staying away fron them,now with halloween comeing then the hollidays it will become a battle to not fall off the wagon cause I like to cook the favorites of the season so I use a diabetic cook book so I can keep it as real as I can.My down fall is usely sweet potato pie or pecan pie,when I eat sweets I drink lots of water to flush it out as quick as possable.I have lost 80 pounds over the last couple of years,even tho i'm down to 250 I still want to get to my goal wight of 200.The doc says It's still not enough I will stick to that goal,if I get past that great if not i'm ok with it.My doc is skinny as a broom stick and really beleaves everyone should be...I do not think that way so as long as some weigh is fallin off I am ok with how things are going.I also workout 3 to4 days a week enough for the workout to be a shade more than moderate amount.I tryed to do harder workouts but it caused to many problems with my pain leval or pops something out wich isn't cool either.

09-25-2013, 11:34 AM	#8
Kelt Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Beach Butch Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 2,751 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 19,765 Thanked 15,287 Times in 2,538 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	There are so many ways the sleep is critical for all of us. A few years ago I spent several months changing my sleep habits away from what had become 6 hours a night, and revamped it to 7.5 regularly. It has made an enormous difference in my health both physically and mentally. This article is a good refresher course on the basics. Hacking sleep: Engineering a high quality, restful night In case you haven’t heard, sleep is absolutely crucial to your health. With a few simple strategies, you can get the high-quality, restful sleep your body and your mind deserves. Introduction; Sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise when it comes to improving your health, performance, and body composition. Good sleep helps our bodies and minds recover, keeping us lean, happy, mentally focused, and healthy. But chronically bad sleep slathers on body fat, screws up our hormones, ages us faster, increases chronic illnesses, and drains our IQ and mojo. Fortunately, research also shows that returning to adequate sleep can quickly reduce these risks. So how do we go about getting that replenishing shut-eye? Read the rest of this article....