This blog is about how you can fit healthy living into your lifestyle. We have talked about everything from mental health issues to diet, nutrition, and exercise. Only the 25 most recent posts show on the main page of the blog, but you can access the older posts by clicking here.

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Today I am going to start a series looking at healthier choices that you can make in your everyday life. We are going to start by comparing some beverage choices, both at home and while eating out. Choosing healthier beverages can not only help you lose weight, but will make a huge difference in your overall health and mental attitude.

Fruit Juices vs. Soda:

We all know by now that Soda can be a bad choice. High amounts of sugar, combined with a lot of calories and caffeine are not very conductive to healthy living. The problem is that when many people cut back on soda, they replace it with juices. Many recent studies have found that juices are just as bad as soda, especially for children.

Now, there are some benefits from juices, namely the vitamins that you get from them. The problem is that juices contain as much, if not more, sugar as an equal amount of soda, and often time more calories. Parents who don't allow their children to drink soda often substitute juice as a beverage choice, but that may be just as bad.

So, what that all breaks down to is that juice is fine in moderation (other than in children under 1 year old), but isn't a good alternative to sugary drinks such as soda.

Milk:

Ah, the age old question. Is milk good for you? Yes...

and no.

This is one of those things that seem to change every time a new study is released. With that in mind, let's take a look at the basic ups and downs.

First off, it's a well known fact that milk is a great source of calcium. The problem with that is that about two thirds of all adults are lactose intolerant. This means that they lack the enzyme in their digestive system that breaks down dairy products.

Then there's the kidney stone debate. About 12% of Americans are affected by kidney stones. Since about 70% of what is found in a kidney stone is calcium, it was often thought that restricting dairy in your diet would help cut down on the occurrence of kidney stones. The latest information, however, proved exactly the opposite. Of the patients studied, the ones that had the highest amounts of dairy in their diet actually had the fewest occurrences of kidney stones. You can read the findings here, as well as the thoughts as to why this link now makes sense.

We'll pick up on a few more beverage choices in my next blog, such as comparing coffee and tea, and the differences in sport drinks such as Gatorade and the all time favorite drink... water.

So while I am talking about weight loss programs and diets, I thought I'd stop and talk about something that I heard on the radio today. I was listening to my local country station, and heard an advertisement for some weight loss plan that I can't remember, and they were talking to the people in a family who had gotten on the program together. What a great way to do it!

What better way to take steps towards healthier living that to take them with your family. There are a lot of benefits that I can see from that, first and foremost is the fact that you have one of the best support groups you can get built in right at home. Also, if everyone in your family is trying to eat healthier, then you won't have the temptations of "bad food" laying around in your cupboards. Also, when you get those cravings knockin' at your door, you can turn to a loved one who is going through the same challenges you are for support.

Once I started thinking about this topic, I started doing some digging. Now, "The Biggest Loser" show on NBC did a family edition a couple years back. I am a huge fan of the show, and I loved how they brought the whole family in on this one. It was a great season to watch, as well as a great message to families everywhere.

This was the beginning of a great trend that I have been seeing, where television and radio are showing how families can reach their goals for healthy living together.

Another thing that I have found and am a big fan of is "Shaq's Big Family Challenge". (yep, that's the Shaq from the Miami Heat Basketball team). This is a website where you can get a free family report card that gives you a look at your family's health. If you choose to join the program, it's only $2 a week. With the membership you get:

So, basically, if you give up one of your double half-frap extra no foam moca-choca-latte (hold the creme) things a week, you can help your family find it's path to healthier living.

Tough choice, huh?

Today I want to take a look at one of the companies that offer a type of "weight loss support system". I really do believe these systems are a good way to learn how to eat, and ultimately build a healthier lifestyle. There are a couple downfalls that we'll talk about, but all in all they are really beneficial.

Let's start with Jenny Craig.

Here's the deal: Jenny Craig is a program that not only helps you reach weight loss goals, but also make healthy changes in your lifestyle.

The Good.

This is a great system, right down to their website. It's not a diet, it's a plan for healthy living. The system addresses the three most important factors of weight loss and a healthy lifestyle:

They have consultants, plans, menu's and a great website that offers a ton of tools to keep you on track.

The Bad.

One downfall that I've seen to this system is cost. While it isn't at all overpriced for the service that they offer, when you add up the cost of the food for the program it can be a bit more that doing the shopping and cooking yourself. You are paying for the convenience of having the food prep and selection done for you. This isn't bad if you can afford it, but it also takes away from you learning how to shop healthy at the grocery store, as well as cook healthy at home.

The Ugly.

Honestly, I can't really find any major health related downfalls to the system. The biggest problems are the cost mentioned above, (which can run $300 - $500 a month) and that it can be difficult to stay on the system if you eat out a lot.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at another weight loss system, L.A. Weight loss.

Stay Tuned!

Turn on your TV and you'll be bombarded with commercials for weight loss pills, fad diets, and every guru with a hip hop exercise program that promises rapid weight loss. You spam mail box is full of ads for diet programs, and wonder pills for every condition. Wanna know a secret? People in the old days weren't obese like we are today, people throughout history haven't had the problems with heart disease that we do today, and they didn't have wonder pills, hip hop abs, or the Atkins Diet. What they did have was exercise, better nutrition, and a lack of fast food and video games.

Coincidence?

Nope.

Today I want to debunk some claims from some of the most popular fad diets, and explain why they don't work.

Let's start with one that was huge for quite a few years, the Atkins Diet.

Here's the gist of how it works:

The Atkins System was the pioneer of Low Carb Diets. A low carb diet is a dietary program that restrict carbohydrate consumption primarily for weight control. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins and fats.

The Good.

The basis of the system is fundamentally good. It teaches you to recognize what foods contain high carbs, and some alternatives to them that can be supplemented into the diet.

The Bad.

The original program reduced or removed carbs from a persons diet too drastically. People would see rapid weigh loss, but their bodies would suffer greatly because many of the foods they removed from their diet also contained other essential nutrients that were not replaced. Also, the program didn't initially include any type of exercise plan, and since people saw the huge initial weight loss, they didn't feel the need to exercise.

The Ugly.

In some cases, there were life threatening complications that resulted from the Atkins Diet. The high protein diet can put the bodies systems out of whack.

To be noted:

The Adkins group has done an overhaul of their program, from including vitamins and monitoring your urine for abnormalities, to adding lifestyle changes and exercise programs to their website. I applaud them for making changes when they saw the challenges that their program was creating. While it's still not a program that I think is healthy for a person, I do believe that it can be a part of helping to create a healthy lifestyle. As always, talk with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise routine.

Next, we'll take a look at diet programs like Jenny Craig, L.A. Weight loss, and more.

Over the next few posts I will be looking at the different options there are for diets. I'd like to start by taking a look at some important basics. First off, let me say that when I talk about diet, I'm talking about a continuing plan of nutrition and exercise for healthy living, not a get thin quick plan. We'll evaluate those at a later time.

In this blog we will talk about the original "Alternative Medicine", Vitamins.

There has been a lot of discussion on vitamins over the years. Some swear by them, and some say that they are useless. It's important to understand them to make an educated decision on what kind of diet best fits your lifestyle. Let's start off by discussing just what they are.

Vitamins are naturally occurring nutrients that your body needs, but can not produce on its own. While it is true that your body does eventually expel any vitamins that it intakes, it's important to take a look at what they do while they are in your body. (Remember, your body passes all pharmaceuticals as well, but we all know that they have an effect while in our bodies.)

Today we will look at a few key vitamins and their benefits.

Vitamin D: 60% of us do not get enough vitamin D. This is a very important vitamin for your immune system, and believe it or not, we get this vitamin naturally from sun exposure. Due to the heightened awareness of the dangers of melanoma many of us do not get enough sun exposure on our skin to produce enough vitamin D. This is why it's important to take recommended amounts of this vitamin.

Vitamin B: This vitamin is very important in brain and nerve functions, fetal development in pregnancy, boosting metabolism, and even can help with nausea.

Vitamins A, C, and E are your anti-oxidants. Our bodies are constantly exposed to oxygen, which is very beneficial for many bodily functions. The problem with oxygen exposure is "rusting". For an example of this, let's do a little experiment.

Take an apple and cut it in half. Leave one half alone, and then squirt some lemon on the exposed side of the second half, and let them both sit for half an hour or so. After that you will notice that the untreated side has "rusted", while the side that you have exposed to an anti-oxidant remains "fresh". This is a very basic demonstration of what anti-oxidants do for your body.

One of the best sources of anti-oxidants is actually coffee, but other great sources are bananas and green tea.

Another very important supplement is the Omega 3 Fish Oils. These are key for health in your heart, brain, and can even increase IQ.

These are just a few basics about the important vitamins, we will use these for reference in future blogs. As always, consult your doctor before making any changes in diet or lifestyle.

So we took a break from mental health for a while to look at a few more fun topics. (Did you groove today?) Now I'd like to swing back and talk about something that I found while digging around the net the other day.

We've talked a lot about mental health, and there are thousands of websites out there dedicated to helping people understand and cope with different kinds of mental illnesses and disorders, but we never really defined what mental health is!


The American Psychiatric Association has long been the organization that defines mental illnesses and disorders. It has only recently started to note that mental health is more than just the lack of mental illness. Through a study of the characteristics that make up mental health, there has been a realization that there are different levels of mental health among people who do not suffer from any form of mental illness. Here are some of the characteristics of what makes up mental health:

The ability to enjoy life

While it is important for us to plan for the future, we have to have the ability to live in the moment and enjoy life. If our entire life is consumed with planing for the future and what may come, we don't stop and enjoy our everyday lives.

Resilience

This is our ability to bounce back from adversity. We all know that some people handle stress better than others. Those who are able to deal with their lives and what they have been given seem to have more resilience than those who repeat the hardships in their lives by continuing to stress about them.

Balance

Balance is very important in life. We have to balance time we spend with others with time that we spend alone. We have to have a work-life balance. We have to balance the amount of energy we spend looking out for others with the amount that we spend looking out for ourselves. People who can find this balance have better mental health that those who let the scales tip to one side or the other.

Self-actualization

This has to do with how we deal with what we are given in life. Some seem to flourish and exceed expectations with what they are given in life, while others seem to squander the gifts that they are given.

Flexibility

People who are very rigid in their lives often fall prey to stress because of the inability to cope with changing circumstances. Those who can roll with the punches seem to have better mental health, and the ability to better deal with the major challenges that life sets forth.

There are many other factors to mental health, such as the ability to form strong relationships, self esteem, and even healthy sexuality. How a person deals with grief and loss also contributes to a persons mental health.

As always, I remind you that overall health encompasses a lot of factors, taking little steps towards healthy living makes a HUGE difference!

A few posts back we took a look at how blue cross has launched a campaign to motivate people to groove their way to better health. The idea is simple, move your body. Today I want to look a little closer at that campaign and give you all some Ideas of how you can take little steps toward better health.

So lets start off by looking at the goal of this program. It's pretty simple, groove your body for 10 minutes, three times a day. (And yes, that's EVERY day.) They're not talking about a workout, just get up and move.

As you can see, this post is pretty animated. (Get the hint?) I'm littering this post with ads from the do>groove campaign. Click on any of them and you'll be taken to the website that will tell you all about this program, and give you some great ways that you can groove your body at home and at work. It even has some ideas on how you can get your co-workers involved in the program. The more people you have working together towards a common goal, the better the chances are that each of you will succeed.

You will see that there are a ton of little activities that you can choose from, all of them simple, every day things that we all know how to do. No fancy exercise routines, no video tapes with annoying perky trainers sweating to the oldies, just ways to move your body towards better health.

The whole goal of this movement is to get you to move. It doesn't matter if it's walking your dog, parking at the back of the lot, gardening, taking a bicycle to work, or what ever you want, it just matters that you move. Do it for ten minutes, and do it three times a day, every day. I promise, it wont kill you.

Today's the day. Make a commitment, and stick to it. What's your groove going to be?

Start now, get up and groove for ten minutes. C'mon, you can do it! If you need a little motivation, Click here for a song to groove to!

In the last post we took a look at how pets can be very beneficial to your mental health, so today I want to look at some ways that pets can help us on the physical side of healthy living.

Now, here's a little background before we get started. I have a 1 year old rottweiler who is the best darn dog in the world. (I'm not partial, I swear.) Any of you out there who have dogs know how much fun the puppy years are, especially when your puppy is 110 pounds. I get a cold wet nose in my ear every morning around 6:30, and it's all play from that point on.

For the first six months after I got Abby I lived in the city. As any of you city folk out there know, limited space and small apartments aren't the best for keeping your dog fit. So I, like many other devoted humans do, turned to the dog park in my neighborhood. That was probably the best decision I could have made. I soon found out that keeping her in shape was doing wonders for me too!

Dog parks offer two great benefits for the people that bring their dogs there, as well as a ton of benefits for the dog. The one I went to was a huge park on the side of the airport, with a wetland, trails, woods, and open fields. We would walk about a mile total through the trails, then meet in the main field to play with the other dogs. While Abby was off making new friends, I quickly learned that there is a HUGE community of people with common interests to get to know. The dog parks are amazing places for both people and dogs to socialize. You meet people with the same passion for dogs that you have, and get to talk about things from dog food and toys to legislation and politics. Every one says "Hi!", and you get to the point that people know you (usually as the guy with the rottie, but that's OK!) and stop and talk with you as they pass you on the trails.

The exercise alone that you get just from walking your dog can do wonders for your health. Walking for 20 min a day 4 or 5 times a week will make a huge difference, and it doesn't even feel like exercise! The added benefit is that you are getting out and talking to people in a positive and safe environment, and that is crucial in helping with your mental health. People suffering from depression, stress or anxiety issues have benefited immensely from these little steps towards stepping back into the world of socialization, and it's as easy as walking your dog... or them walking you!

Before we start talking about the exercise initiative that I mentioned yesterday, I want to look at how pets can help your physical and mental health. Besides the physical benefits and exercise potential that pets bring, there is mounting evidence that pets also have a very good affect on our mental health.

I will be talking mostly about dogs today, because that's what I know a lot about. I don't want all of you cat lovers out there to think that I am playing favorites, it's just that most of the research that I have done (and personal experience) stems from the relationship between dogs and people. As a whole, any pet will bring significant benefits to a person's wellness.

As MSNBC reported a while back, there is not only mounting scientific evidence that shows that dogs can lower blood pressure, help children get over allergies, and ease loneliness, but also new evidence that shows that hormonal changes may occur when human and dogs interact. These changes may help people suffering from depression and some stress related disorders. Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia show that petting your dog releases such "feel good" hormones as serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin, as well as decreasing the hormone cortisol, which is responsible for regulating the apetite.

Any animal lovers out there can probably already tell you what these studies have found, that the unconditional love of a pet also comes with some great benefits. People suffering from depression and lonliness often sing the praises of their pets over any other form of therapy.

So now that we know how pets can help your mental health, next we'll take a look at some ways to use your pets to better your physical health!

We've looked at many things that affect your mental and physical health to date. Today, it's time for something that I am a big fan of...

Exercise.

Wait, don't run off just yet. I'm not the typical gym guy preaching about weight lifting, or some guru with a "hip hop" this or "20 minute" that. I am a big believer in something that has long gone by the wayside, especially in recent times of fad diets and exercise plans. I believe in fitness.

Do you remember how it was in school? We exercised every day. Even if we didn't have a gym class that day, we went outside for recess. There were no computers, no play station x super sega nintendo genisis games to play, just a jungle gym, a big red bouncy ball, and the 4 corners pad. (I think that's what it was called, you know, the little square that was divided into four sections that you each stood in and bounced the ball...)

Those days are long gone. Now it's all about that revolutionary "exercise" thing that will let you work out just twenty minutes a week and get the body of your dreams. These "achieve more by doing less" themes seem to be going to the extremes now. With all of these "11 minute total body work outs" and "2 minute executive work outs" and break through diets and cutting edge supplements now, you'd think that we'd be the most healthy society in history.

Think again.

Our country has fallen into a pit of obesity and health issues at record highs. The worst part is that these issues are now affecting our children. We as a culture have become lazy, plain and simple.

I know that's not the nicest thing to say, and probably not politically correct, but am I wrong? Let me ask you each this then: was there one time today that your heart was pumping hard? What about yesterday, and the day before.

Our bodies and minds need exercise, and need it every day. We're not bad about exercising our minds, technology has helped with that to a point. But, as a trade off, our bodies are suffering.

Get the point? I'm sure you do. You hear it all the time, but it's really hard to get to the gym, or go running, or ... or ... or ...

Here's the thing. You don't have to work out to work out, you just have to do.

Do gardening
Do hopscotch
Do walk your dog
Do take the stairs
Do shovel
Do take a break and get away from your computer for a while, don't just sit there.



Sound like something you've heard before? Take a look at this site. Blue cross started this program in Minnesota, and I think it's the best thing I've seen in a long time. It's a site that helps individuals, business, friends, neighbors, and communities get back into shape, just by doing. You can start your own campaign to do better!

Take a look at that, and we'll talk more about it in the next few posts. It's important that we all take a step towards better mental and physical health, so why not take it together?

In my last post we took a look at depression and grief. There is some thought that antidepressants can be beneficial to people going through the grieving process. Most of the information that I am finding in medical and psychiatric findings, such as this one, explain that it's important to understand the point that grief becomes full on depression before looking at mental health medicines as a form of treatment.

These articles mention these key differences between grieving and clinical depression:

This article does a good job of summing the differences up in this statement:

Keeping in mind this difference between clinical depression and grieving, most mental health professionals do not prescribe medicine for people who are grieving. Since most of the mental health medicines that deal with depression are more long term and take some time to take full effect, they are not really suited for people dealing with grief. There are some "fast acting" medicines for depression and anxiety, such as Lorazepam or Ativan, that are sometimes used for people suffering from extreme depression during the grieving process.

As always, it's best to consult with your doctor about any issue that you are facing that affects your mental or physical health. They will be able to work with you to better understand your situation and needs.

I've come across some interesting discussion about antidepressants and people dealing with grief, and I thought we'd take a look at that today.

It's an interesting concept, and honestly one that I hadn't thought of before. Can people who are coping with grief benefit from antidepressants? Let's take a look at some different views on this topic.

After reading this article and several like it, I see that the medical and mental health communities seem to agree that the depression that one experiences during the grief process is typically secondary, and resulting from the original cause of the grief. They also believe that any depression experienced from grieving is typically short term (relatively) compared to full on depression. With that said, there is also some agreement that the grief process may trigger a long term depression that continues after the grieving has run it's course.

Basically, what that all means is that it's not usually necessary (or beneficial) to treat the grief experienced during the normal stages of grief with antidepressants. It is possible, however, for an extreme stressor to trigger a clinical depression, which may linger after the grieving has ended. It's important to understand the relationship between grief and depression so that you can recognize when the depression has become more than just a normal part of the grieving process. We'll take a look at that relationship in the next post, as well as how some antidepressants and mental health medicines may benefit clinical depression after grief.

Stay tuned!

As I sit over my third cup of coffee this morning, I am reminded of something that we often overlook as a very important part of healthy living. You see, we have a pregnant mare here on the ranch that was due to deliver over a week ago. I'm sure she's just as ready as we are for that baby to come out, but until it does, we are all having some very long nights. We take shifts watching her overnight, and work during the day. It's times like this that you really appreciate how sleep can affect both your physical and mental health.

We spend almost 33% of our lives asleep, but don't give sleep a moment's notice until we aren't getting it. A poor nights sleep can cause a weakened immune system, increased stress and mistakes, and that general crankiness that we all know so well.

Today I want to throw out a few tips to help you get into a better sleep routine. There are some big physical and mental benefits to a regular sleep pattern, but I will hit those in future posts. Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep, but having a pattern is really important.

In my last blog we took a look at how research and science explained the connection between bipolar disorder and other disorders. Today I want to look at the personal side of the issue and discuss how people living with multiple disorders are coping with them.

As I said, I subscribe to a few blogs written by people who have the courage to share their personal lives with others. A couple of them are people dealing with more than one mental health issue, and they are doing a great service by sharing their experiences with others.

I'd like you to take a look at this blog written by a talented young man who is a published author, as well as a very courageous person. He is dealing with some very hard issues in life, including the combination of bipolar disorder and epilepsy. The amazing thing is that he is willing to share his experiences and personal feelings with us, so that anyone dealing with these issues can see that they are not alone, and anyone who is not dealing with exactly the same thing can gain a better understanding. He discusses how mental health medicines are affecting how he deals with bipolar disorder and epilepsy, as well as a very personal and experienced look at how the two disorders may be linked.

I'd also like you to take a look at this blog, written by a gentleman who describes himself as "a former mental health counselor who now lives on the other side of the wall with four concurrent disorders." He has taken up the cause of fighting against the stigma that surrounds mental health disorders by offering an open and honest opinion that doesn't pull any punches. I am thoroughly impressed that he has not only done great things in his life as a counselor, but also continued to help people by sharing his experiences.

The reason I want you to look at these blogs is that we often forget the very personal side of mental health issues. People coping with mental health issues often fall into societies stigmas and are labeled as "That bipolar guy" or "The epileptic one". We often read of the research and scientific side of these issues, but doctors and medical journals rarely write about the patient experience. It takes understanding and community awareness to help fight the stigmas that follow mental health issues, and it's up to each of us to do our part to help.

Click on the picture above to take a look at rethink.org, a great site with information on living with mental health, as well as ways that we all can get involved!

There has been a lot of discussion recently of how mental health issues have common traits, and even how there may be genetic and biological links between disorders. Bipolar disorder seems to be the starting point for a lot of these theories, as it is one of the most intensely studied of all mental health issues. Multiple genes, involving several chromosomes, have been linked to the development of this disorder. It may also share these characteristics with other disorders, such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, and panic disorder. What is unclear is whether these disorders are variations of a single disease, or separate disorders.

So we are going to take a break from looking at how mental health issues can be affected by nutrition and exercise. If you've been reading my posts you know that I will shift gears when I see an issue that I want to discuss that seems to be of more importance and relevance to people at that time.

I subscribe to some other blogs that talk about mental health issues. It amazes me how people are able to open up and talk about some very personal issues. As I said before, blogging can not only offer you the chance to help someone else by sharing your experiences, it can also be a good form of therapy for the blogger themselves!

In reading some of these other blogs, and then reviewing my own posts, I am noticing that issues that affect mental health seem to travel in packs. I have talked about anxiety and depression, as well as how PTSD can be accompanied by (or sometimes replaced by) depression, anger, anxiety, grief, or any combination of these issues. Now I'd like to take a look at some other trends that I am noticing.

In my next few blogs we'll take a look at some common combinations of mental health issues that I see people dealing with. The thing that interests me the most is how the health professionals and their patients are adjusting their treatment techniques and even the mental health medicine that they are using because of the affects of multiple issues.

In the next post we will take a look at how bipolar disorder and epilepsy are linked, and how treatment for both is being approached by both doctors and their patients.

Stay tuned!