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ZING! Living Newsletter
February 2012
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Greetings!
February is known for a number of holidays, but I am psyched to wish you Happy Walking the Dog Day, February 22nd. I recently read a quote that said, "If your dog is overweight, you need to be getting more exercise." Don't have a four legged friend you can walk? Bust out your yo-yo and walk that dog instead. This month we'll explore your unique definition of wellness. What does good health look like for you? You've got to know what you are aiming for before you can shoot for your target. We'll also enjoy a guest blog from Roxanne Sukol, M.D., who writes at Your Health is on Your Plate. While she speaks most directly to diabetics, her information on healthy eating easily applies to all of us. Want to learn more about finding your particular path to well being? Visit Zing! Living's website where you'll find oodles of information on healthy living and cultivating the mental, emotional, and spiritual environment to support yourself in achieving your goals. While you're there, I invite you to sign up for my free online e-course, "Five Attitudes to Supercharge Your Wellness Journey," and enjoy some other free goodies too.
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What Do You Mean by Healthy?
There exists an endless array of TV shows, magazines, websites, and DVD's devoted to getting you the body you want. Well what does that actually mean? Have you ever spent time imagining just what being in excellent health looks and feels like for you? Do you ever consider why it is you want to get healthier in the first place?
Maybe you suffer from chronic pain and wellness means being able to go back to work. Perhaps you want to demonstrate healthier living habits to your children, hopefully inspiring them to follow suit. Or it could be that you have a bucket list a mile long of adventurous activities you'd like to check off before you make that last jump flying side kick into the great beyond.
Before embarking on a new meal plan, fitness routine or wellness program, it's important to take a look at the big picture. It's the answers to these questions that will help you stay motivated when actually climbing that Stair Master day after day:
- What is MY definition of good health for ME?
- How do I imagine myself looking and feeling when I am in better physical shape?
- What will I do with the new found freedom a healthier body gives me?
Exploring these ideas is keenly important. If you don't know what wellness means to you, how will you know you're attaining it? Without some kind of compass, it's awfully hard set your journey in the direction you want to be traveling. Use the answers to these big picture questions to help you stay on course.
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Is Gluten-Free Eating Healthier?
Guest Blog by Roxanne Sukol, M.D.
 A reader sent an interesting question a few weeks ago. She wanted to know if eating a gluten-free diet was of any benefit in the case of people who are NOT gluten-sensitive. Great question.
The answer depends on what you choose to eat instead.
In general, processed food-like items contain large amounts of wheat. Converting to a wheat-free diet should therefore, theoretically, have the net effect of significantly decreasing the amount of processed things in your diet. So if you exchange wheat-containing, processed junk-food for other kinds of processed junk-food that are marked gluten-free simply by virtue of the fact that they are made with a stripped, non-gluten-containing grain such as white rice, then there will be no benefit to removing the gluten from your diet.
But if you replace the usual commercially baked products in your diet [like bread, cake, bagels, waffles, pancakes, biscuits, muffins, and boxed items marketed specifically for breakfast (toaster cakes, granola bars, cereal bars, and so on)] with more fruits and veggies, nuts, legumes, fish, eggs, leftovers from dinner, pastured meats, and of course gluten-free whole grains, it is reasonable to expect that the change will be of enormous benefit.
In other words, there is a benefit to eating gluten-free, but it is not because of the gluten!
Want some great recipes and tips for nutritious noshing? Visit Dr. Sukol at Your Health is On Your Plate.
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Thank you for reading my newsletter. If you've found the information relevant and interesting, please tweet it, share it, or pass it along to someone else.
Need more help navigating your way to healthier living habits? Call me at 623-242-8809 or email me at Melanie@ZingLiving.com. I look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Melanie Lane, MD, CPCC
Dr Lane, ZING! Living Coach
www.ZingLiving.com |
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Quote of the Month
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 The truth is, food is awfully drab-looking most of the time. And the few foods that really are pretty, like turnips and beets and wax beans, taste as if you ate your purse by mistake. -Miss Piggy |
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Free Online Course ZingLiving.com
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Finding and maintaining an attitude to support your wellness goals can be challenging. Here I offer five new ones for you to try on to get things jumpstarted.
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