Now Walmart's Telling Us What to Eat...Is that a Good Thing?

Thanks to fast food and junk food advertising campaigns we know exactly what to eat to perpetuate the growing obesity epidemic.  But have you heard the news?  Walmart, the largest seller of food in the U.S., recently unveiled a new logo with the tag line Great for you in an effort to do a better job at telling us what to eat. The seal identifies foods that are healthier options and actually has legitimate criteria.  Only fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, eggs, whole grains and foods lower in sodium and sugar earned the seal.   

 

For years Walmart has been one of my best and most reliable excuse busters for folks who are convinced that healthy is not affordable.  Believe it or not this is a picture I recently took at Walmart of a ‘value pack’ that was actually a fantastic value.  It may surprise you, but affordable healthy choices have been at Walmart all along, they were just a little harder to find.  But this is exactly where I sent some of my very first 20-something year old clients back in 2005. 

Thanks to their Health Initiative and now this new logo, Walmart has continuously increased its healthy offerings and made them easier to find.  To top it off, Walmart is committed to improving even more ingredient labels by lowering sodium and sugar contents so that by 2015  so they can earn the seal too.  President and CEO of Walmart said that “No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford.”  And despite all the cynicism, I can appreciate his remark and the position the company is making to help our nation.

Walmart has long been my go to place to help people budget for healthy living because they cover all the bases from the food to the workout gear, exercise equipment and DVDs.  Plus they have the inspirational books, candles and bath salts needed for the rest and relaxation that is also a part of total wellness.   In fact, when I co-authored FITatudes Just Tell Me What to Eat: Ready to Use, Budget Friendly Eat Well Tips for Busy Folks in a Bad Economy back in 2009 we included a sample menu with pricing from Walmart so people could really see the possibilities.

For as much heat as the mega store gets, they do quite a few things right especially when it comes to living well.  For one, they were among the first to start making organic foods more affordable.

This move is huge and sets a standard because Walmart stores are everywhere.  They are where Whole Foods are not and offer prices that the everyday American working families, college students, single moms and seniors who have the most hurdles to overcome with healthy living can stomach (pun intended J).    

My hope and prayer is that they will take it a step further with promotions, sponsorships, events and contests that will engage young people and young adults, foster customer loyalty for young people and young adults, encourage prevention and contribute to a Fit Destiny for Generation Y.

Watch out for the Blitz on Super Bowl Sunday: Have A Party Game Plan

Are you ready for some football?  Well the super markets, member warehouses and pizza places sure are.  In fact while I was in Costco yesterday and there was music, there were decorations and the sample stations had quadrupled! This was carefully planned, well executed blitz on arm chair quarterbacks. Okay and yes I did come out with a couple of extra items I sampled LOL! It really works.

 

See they know that Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest eating days of the year – second only to Thanksgiving. It also tops the charts for television sales, which go up drastically prior to game day. Just in time to sabotage our New Year’s resolutions to get FIT and save $money$.

Well not so fast! You can enjoy the festivities and still remain on the winning side with a Super Bowl Party Game Plan. Here are the plays:

 1.      Budget Action Fake: If it’s not in your budget to buy the new flat screen TV don’t buy it.  You will still enjoy watching it on what you have, at a restaurant or on a friend’s flat screen TV.  And come Monday morning you won’t have the TV Bill blues.
2.      Pre Game Plan: Have a small healthy snack before you head to the party that way you won’t be in binge mode when you get there. You can just focus on the game, the fun, friends and family.
3.      Single Plate Run: Prepare yourself a plate rather than mindless munching from a bowls. Then go ahead and eat a cookie or brownie for dessert - and let go of the depravation “being good” mindset.  Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial so enjoy in moderation and pray for contentment.
4.      The Crystal Punch Play: Choose Crystal Punch as your beverage of choice (That’s Water…NOT to be mistaken for Crystal Light J).  Jazz it up with a lime.
5.      Couch Potato Route:  Get up from that couch for more than seconds and a potty break.  Here’s how (remember, passing the chips does not count as exercise, no matter how heavy the bowl):

o   Commercial Seats: This tightens your legs and buttocks.  Start with your back against the wall and your knees bent, so legs are at a 90-degree angle.  Hold this position till the end of one commercial or you can do this while chatting with your friend right next to you!

o   Commercial 10s:  Three exercises, each lasting 10 seconds -  First perform as many push-ups as possible for 10 seconds.  Next turn onto your back and scissor kick for 10 seconds.  Stand up and do jumping jacks for 10 seconds.  Take a 30 second rest and repeat cycle.

o   Buddy Lower Lift:  Lying on your back on the floor, grab hold of a friend’s ankles. Lift your legs up to 12 o-clock.  Keeping your legs together and  lower them as far as you can without your back coming off the floor then lift back up. Go for 30 seconds then switch with your friend.

Have fun and never forget that you are Destined To Be Fit!

Remember, before starting this or any exercise program you must consult with your health care provider first.

3 Ways to Make 2012 Your Best New Year for Resolutions

It’s January 2012 and if you are like me you are now focusing on what you can do better in 2012.  There is something about the whole New Year New You concept that gives me hope, (well technically, I always have Hope – my 8 year old daughter LJL).

Download This worksheet

While we have the best intentions to make our New Year’s resolutions stick, most often, in the busyness of life they are lost, forgotten or just abandoned by the 31^st.

This is how last year’s resolutions turn into next year’s and the discouraging cycle continues.  So we are left wondering, should we even bother? The short answer is YES but only if we follow these three (3) easy tips:

1.     Keep setting and reviewing your goals all year. Even after this first month of the year, don’t stop!  Resolve to continue setting or updating goals on a monthly, weekly or daily basis. You can set goals in any area of your life including family, spiritual, charitable and the regulars like health, finances and career. Just don’t skip the exercise (no pun intended) of setting goals!  

"… the tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream... It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin." - Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

2.     Check your ‘blindside’ by praying and asking God what your goal should be. You know that the blindside is known as the area outside the quarterback’s vision.  Well, many times that’s where the thing we often need to work on is sitting.  So ask the One who sees everything to cue you in.

Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24 (AMP)

When you do this, be sure to listen for the answer. It may come through the Bible, a person or a sign but He will answer and you may or may not like the answer.  But remember, you asked so you can become a better you.

3.     Focus on ONE goal at a time. That means taking the “s” off of Resolutions and making it  “A” resolution at a time. Since based on #1 we are now consistent goal setters, we don’t have to overwhelm ourselves with attacking our entire list in a single swoop.  Author Tim Elmore once wrote that what you focus and channel your energies on will expand.   Research suggests that it takes 30 days to form a new habit. If you set up some reminders over the course of the next 30 days of what you will do daily toward your goal you will be rewarded.  Remember, it is the ONE goal you will work on.

Now we are setting ourselves up for success this year and for years to come.

You can print the Lifetime Lifestyle Diary Goal Worksheet for a starting point.  Start aiming for the stars. YOU CAN DO IT in 2012!!

The Gift of Support for the Grieving

The holiday season is a joyous time of year marked by celebrations with family and friends.  However, if you know some one struggling with the death of a loved one, the holidays may create painful reminders that emphasize their sense of loss.  

This is true for me because my grandmother passed last month and my Dad three years ago. While I am so blessed to have wonderful memories, they are accompanied by the pain I feel from the loss of their still not being here to share in my life and see my children grow up. 

Often we are unsure how to act or what to say to support folks who are grieving loved ones during the holidays. So I found these tips provided by some Counselors from a community based grief support program in Ohio:

·     Do not struggle with finding the "right" words to say. A simple "I'm sorry" is often enough. Can’t tell you how often I used to put my foot in my mouth then after I suffered a loss I understood that less is more…

·     If you do not know what to do, ask yourself, "What would I like done for me under these circumstances?" It's okay to be direct. Just ask grieving friends what they need.

·     If you are unable to tolerate extremely painful mourning, help from afar. Offer to help with chores or running errands.  Never tell a grieving friend not to cry because you are not able to bear it. Weeping is essential so don’t discourage the tears. It’s normal and okay.

·     Share your own grieving experiences, but use good judgment. Only share that which will offer hope and survival.

·     Include grieving friends in social invitations, but be sure to allow them to freely accept or refuse without pressure.

·     Use good judgment in how long to visit. Grieving friends will be grateful you are there, but not comfortable asking you to leave.

·     Acknowledge the loss. This can be said simply and directly or send a note, flowers, or a donations to charities in their name.

·     Sharing spiritual beliefs that are uplifting can give great support; you may even help them find a  Grief Share group at a local church. Praying together can create a sense of unity.

·     Do not withdraw support too quickly after the funeral. This could create another sense of loss.

Now you know what to do and you can give a gift of support to someone and help them feel comforted during the holidays! What a great feeling it will be.

For more information visit  www.hospicewr.org  and www.griefshare.org 

Stand UP for Your Break Time, You Need It!

There is now an Emerging Science of Sedentary Behavior  and Neville Owen , Ph.D., Head of Behavioral Epidemiology at Australia's Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, presented evidence that suggests sitting for long periods of time is associated with health risks – even for people who are regularly physically active. Sitting time is emerging as a strong candidate for being a cancer risk factor in its own right. "It’s highly likely that the longer you sit, the higher your risk. This phenomenon isn't dependent on body weight or how much exercise people do," said Dr. Owen. However, recent evidence suggests that key indicators of cancer risk are lower when prolonged sitting is interrupted with brief (1-2 minute) breaks

Currently, Dr. Owen and his research team are conducting a randomized trial investigating the link between regular desk breaks and activities that promote standing to cancer risk biomarkers. Evidence from this study might lead to practical recommendations on workplace health, says Dr. Owen, such as removing office waste baskets so you have to get up and walk to them…no more waste basket hoops…, using standing desks…Not as bad as it sounds. 

 I have a set up with my laptop on a counter so that I can stand at times when I am working…, and meetings with standing breaks.  

By now, we've all heard advice to "Take the stairs, not the elevator." Which is good but there are many more ways to infuse your day at work with more activity:

• Set the timer on your computer to remind you every 60 minutes that it's time to step away from your desk and take a short walk down the hall.
• "Walk with me." Got a quick thing to discuss with a co-worker? Instead of sending an email, ask him or her to join you for a walk to hash it out on the go. The pedeconference: It's not just for TV characters anymore.
• Keep light hand weights in your office to use while reading email or talking on the phone.
• During all phone calls and phone meetings, stand up and walk around.
• For a more vigorous activity break, ask your employer to put a punching bag or chin-up bar in your break room. ..just pack some deodorant J
• Your office or cubicle wall is all you need for simple activities like stretches, vertical push-ups and leg lifts.  I have my elastic bands here with me so that I can do it too! 

TAKE A BREAK TODAY!!

November is National Adoption Month

Did you know that November is National Adoption month?  Well, I must admit that I had no clue about this month. If you said November to me I and I thought turkey and black Friday. But now as an adoptive parent it is such a huge part of my life and since I keep running into people who are clueless like I once was and who want to know more I'm going to give you the scoop so that you can be in the know!

Adoption Awareness Month is a nationwide campaign in November to encourage families throughout the United States to open their hearts and homes to children waiting to be adopted, the particular focus is the adoption of children currently in foster care. During the month there is Orphan Sunday which is a Sunday set aside for churches to engage their congregations and communities to hear God's call from the Bible to care for orphans. It's this Sunday, November 6th.  Then there is National Adoption Day which is a collective national effort Celebrated in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to raise awareness of the 114,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families. This year it's November 19th.  

For the last 11 years, National Adoption Day has made the dreams of thousands of children come true by working with courts, judges, attorneys, adoption professionals, child welfare agencies and advocates to finalize adoptions and find permanent, loving homes for children in foster care.  Foster care is supposed to be temporary. Unfortunately, as thousands of our country's children know. foster care sometimes lasts as long as childhood. Many foster children are legally free for adoption, but on average, nearly two-thirds have been in care more than two years, and only one in five will be adopted. There are thousands of children  that need a permanent home and loving family. If you've ever wanted to be a parent - to help children grow and develop to their fullest potential – this month is for you to learn more and consider adoption. Children of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities, are waiting for parents to make a difference in their lives. They are waiting on YOU!!

Here are a few facts:

• There are an estimated 408,425 children in foster care in the United States, and more than 107,000 of them are waiting to be adopted. 
• Through no fault of their own, these children enter foster care as a result of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. 
• On average they wait for 3-5 years for a family
• The average age of children waiting for an adoptive family is 8. 
• Nearly 28,000 children reach the age of 18 without ever finding a forever family.
• Married couples, single females & single males can adopt

To find out more about adopting a child in the United States, please visit 

www.nationaladoptionday.org or call 1-800-ASK-DTFA.  And here in TX visit

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/Adoption/ 

In an upcoming blog I will share with you my adoption story from foster care and how God orchestrated things so perfectly.  And how we continue to have divine appointments with other adoptive families and adopted adults who keep us inspired. Plus I will share ideas on how you can help even if adoption is not what you have been called to do.  You can still care for orphans in a very meaningful way!!  

McDonald's in California Has the Right Idea for Halloween: Free Apple Slices

Participating Southern California McDonald's restaurants will offer one free bag of apple slices to costumed customers under the age of 12 on Halloween. This one-day offer is available at participating McDonald's restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties from 4 to 7 p.m. on October 31.

In September, California was one of the first states to unveil the new Happy Meal which automatically includes Apple Slices (1/4 cup or 1/2 serving) and new smaller size French Fries (approximately 1.1 ounces) as a side to the choice of Chicken McNuggets®, a Hamburger, or Cheeseburger.  The meal also includes a choice of beverage in which 1% white milk or fat-free chocolate milk are options.  The new Happy Meal is now available at all Southern California McDonald's and nationwide by the first quarter of 2012.

The new Happy Meal aims to address a challenge kids face in meeting the recommended daily consumption of produce. The new Happy Meal is anticipated to introduce about 100 million cups of produce annually into the diets of McDonald's youngest customers.

The new Happy Meal is part of McDonald's USA "Commitment to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices", a comprehensive plan which aims to help customers–especially children and families – make nutrition-minded choices whether visiting McDonald's or eating elsewhere. In addition to adding a produce or low-fat dairy option to every Happy Meal, McDonald's will reduce added sugars, saturated fat and calories through varied portion sizes, reformulations and innovations by 2020.  Furthermore, the company will reduce sodium an average of 15 percent across its national menu of food choices by 2015.

Okay so apples are on top of the Environmental Working Group's list of Dirty Dozen for pesticides but hey, you've got to admit this is great news.

For more information about the new Happy Meal and McDonald's "Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices", visit www.McDonalds.com/changing.