Retirement Can Be A Positive Thing For Your Health

 Although aging may mean more physical problems, retirement can help people lead healthier lives, a new study from Australia suggests. 

Researchers found that when folks retire they tend to increase their physical activity, sit less and sleep more soundly. 

"Our study paints a positive picture of retirement," said lead researcher Dr. Melody Ding, a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health. "Retirees [in the study] were acquiring a healthier lifestyle. Factors that may have contributed to this include the availability of time to be physically active and removal from sedentary jobs and work-related stress." 

Whether or not these results would be the same in the United States isn't clear. "Retirement and the health benefits of retirement could be very context-specific," she said.

"Life expectancy in Australia -- 82.1 years -- is a few years longer than that in the United States -- 78.7, and there are also different social welfare and health care systems," she said. "All of these factors may limit the 'generalizability' of our findings to the U.S." 

The study tracked about 25,000 Australians. The average age of those still working was just over 54. During slightly more than three years of follow-up, about 3,100 of the study participants retired. 

After retirement, study participants reported increased physical activity levels of about an hour and half a week. Retirees also sat around less -- cutting their sedentary time down by just over an hour each day. And, compared to when they were working, those who retired slept an average of 11 minutes more each day, the research revealed.

The study authors also noted that about half of the women smokers quit after retirement. 

No significant link was found between retirement status and alcohol use or eating fruit and vegetables. 

The average age for retirement in the United States is 62, according to a 2014 Gallup poll. Ding said the average retirement age in Australia is just over 63 years. 

"I think it is important to plan for retired life with a positive mindset," she said. "Some people get anxious about retirement because they may lose a sense of purpose." When people stop working, they sit less, move more and get a better night's sleep, study says.

She recommended pursuing hobbies, volunteering or spending time with loved ones as ways to keep a sense of purpose. She added that retirees might incorporate a social component into a healthy lifestyle, such as catching up with a friend during a walk.

One study participant -- an 89-year-old retired bank manager -- told the researchers, "I have more time in my retirement and I am happily busy. I keep fit by dancing four times a week and walking." 

To keep his mind active, this retiree teaches computer skills. The message on his answering machine: "I am out enjoying my retirement." 

Rachel Johnson is a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont. "It was encouraging that many of the retirees in this study opted to spend time being more physically active," said Johnson, who is also chair of the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. "Being active is important to preventing heart disease and stroke." 

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity) to improve overall heart health. 

Older adults will also experience benefits if they divide their exercise time into two or three segments of 10 to 15 minutes a day, Johnson said. 

She also suggested that older people try these tips to get and keep active:

• Walk a dog.
• Walk at the mall when the weather is too hot or too cold.
• Walk, jog in place or use the treadmill at a gym while you watch your favorite 30-minute show.
• Park the car far from your destination and walk.
• Take the stairs.
• Dance.
• Trade after-dinner dessert for an after-dinner walk.

The Doctor added that retirement is a good time for doctors to talk to their patients about making positive lifestyle changes that could add years to their life. 

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're trying to lose weight and exercise that will help you lose weight. I wrote an ebook that will give you all the info in one read. It's a how-to book that also tells you about the mistakes I made and how to avoid them.

My ebook is available at www.amazon.com, www.B&N.com, iBooks (download the app), kobo.com, scribd.com and many more. My ebook will go on sale in May for $1.99. This special will only last for a limited time.

Will I Lose Weight if I Become a Vegetarian?

Question:

Is vegetarianism a good way to lose weight? My vegetarian friends say they didn't really experience any weight loss when they stopped eating meat.

Answer:

There isn't actually a "yes" or "no" answer here. If you eat more calories than you need you will gain weight, whether you eat meat or not. Weight loss is just as possible on a meat-based diet as a vegetarian diet and vice versa.

That said, research has shown people following a typical vegetarian diet consume, on average, around 500 fewer calories daily than their meat-eating counterparts.

Interestingly, the research showed that they actually ate more food than non-vegetarians.

This can be attributed to the fact that healthy vegetarian diets are comprised mainly of complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are starchy, fiber-rich foods that are naturally low in fat and calories. Examples of complex carbs are legumes and other vegetables and whole grains.

Remember, every 3,500 calories cut equals one pound lost. If you do the math, it's easy to see that a 500 calorie-a-day deficit will lead to one pound of weight loss a week. Whether you're a veggie or a carnivore, a calorie cut is a calorie cut.

It's perfectly logical that some vegetarians don't lose any weight when they eliminate meat. Eliminating meat in and of itself doesn't necessarily lead to a calorie deficit since you replace it with other foods. This is especially true if the individual replaces meat with products like cheese or milk.

The trick to losing weight on a vegetarian diet -- and all diets -- is to plan your meals in advance, ensuring they include a good variety of fruit, vegetables, and grains. Resorting to junk food simply because you haven't taken the time to plan a meal is a sure-fire way to set yourself up for failure.

Not only will your weight-management efforts suffer, your general wellness will wane due to poor nutrition.

If you're looking for convenience, there are plenty of healthy vegetarian-friendly meals in grocery stores. Meals like Amy's frozen dinners are ready in minutes in your microwave. Veggie burgers by Boca or GardenBurger can also be microwaved, or for a "cooked-out" flavor, grilled. Try them as a burger with a bun and fixings, or, alongside other veggies as a replacement for a meat entree.

Another key is to be careful about preparation method of vegetable-based meals. My Southern mom served me fried squash and okra right and left when I briefly went veggie as a teen. (You can imagine where that got me!) Seek out vegetarian recipes that incorporate boiled, broiled, grilled, steamed or sauteed vegetables. If you're trying to lose weight, you'll want to avoid high-fat casseroles and fried veggies whenever possible.

From this post, you might have already concluded that losing weight is more about the quality of the food your eating and the way the food is prepared and not so much about meat. That said, I do believe that the less animal fat your consume over your lifetime the healthier you'll be.
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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're trying to lose weight and exercise that will help you lose weight. I wrote an ebook that will give you all the info in one read. It's a how-to book that also tells you about the mistakes I made and how to avoid them.

My ebook is available at www.amazon.com, www.B&N.com, iBooks (download the app), kobo.com, scribd.com and many more. My ebook will go on sale in May for $1.99. This special will only last for a limited time.

The Five Meal a Day Weight Loss Plan

Yes, you can eat five meals a day to lose weight. The lady who wrote the post below explains how it works for her.

I'm a chef (and a mom). You might think that eating frequent meals wouldn’t be an issue.

I understand the concept: Five small meals a day takes the edge off your appetite, evens out blood sugar levels, and keeps your energy steady. But I confess: I don’t always eat this way.

Although my fitness trainer encourages me to eat healthy food every few hours, my meals usually look like this: coffee, a bit more coffee, lunch at 3 p.m., dinner at 9 p.m. I start over again the next morning.

When I decided to change this habit, I found that doing these five things helped:

1. Plan ahead. Five meals a day equals breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. To do this right, you need to plan what you’ll eat every day for each “meal.” And you need to schedule eating about every 3 hours.
2. Stock up. Face it: You’re going to grab whatever food is closest. So stock up on veggies, fruit, healthy carbs, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese.
3. Go for taste. Choose snack foods that will sustain you and taste good. Remember, healthy food can be satisfying.
4. Whip up a smoothie. Blend fruit, milk, yogurt and a little honey for a sweet filling snack packed with vitamins, fiber, protein, and calcium.
5. Combine carbs and protein to stay full longer. Try whole wheat toast with peanut butter or a hard-boiled egg; whole-grain pasta with olive oil and cheese; or oatmeal with fruit, milk, and honey. Or make yourself a big pot of soup (like my Tuscan chicken soup) to heat up for lunches or snacks.

The idea is to spread out the calories equally over the five meals. Even though you're on a diet, don't starve yourself. Losing weight is about losing body fat and you want to change the food you eat and then you'll lose fat. 

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're trying to lose weight and exercise that will help you lose weight. I wrote an ebook that will give you all the info in one read. It's a how-to book that also tells you about the mistakes I made and how to avoid them.

My ebook is available at www.amazon.com, www.B&N.com, iBooks (download the app), kobo.com, scribd.com and many more. My ebook will go on sale in May for $1.99. This special will only last for a limited time.

Losing Weight Too Fast and You Will Regain It

A small bit of trivia for you. Did you know that 13 of the past 14 winners on the Biggest Loser TV Show have gained the weight back? It the truth, and there's a simple reason. When you starve your body for calories and that can't go on forever, when you stop the diet your cravings will take over and you'll start to eat all the foods you did before. It might not come back immediately but in the first year, you'll gain a portion of it and the second year you'll gain the rest and sometimes more. Most of them will end up weighing more than before.

Large amounts of weight should be lost gradually. Lost about 10% of your body weight and stop and maintain that weight for a few months, then continue and lose another 10% and do it in stages. You have to let your body establish a set point. Your body doesn't like change, it thinks you're starving and it will start to hoard calories. And the only way to do that is to accumulate fat. This is an old survival mechanism that your body has because thousands of years ago humans never know when they would eat again. It's the same survival mechanism that wild animals have. 

A person can lose as much weight as they want if they do it the right way. The best way to lose weight is to change everything you're doing now. If you eat fat you will add more fat and animal fat is what you don't want to eat. It's hard to avoid all animal fat because it's in almost all our foods. All dairy products have animal fat. All meat has animal fat. So what does a person do to lose weight? Increase the amount of fish your eating. Look up on the internet and see which fish and shellfish are "low in mercury" and I was surprised, there's a lot. You can also eat lean meat, like chicken breasts, turkey breasts, pork loin and others. You want to avoid cuts of red meat with layers or marbled fat and only eat red meat about twice a month.

Another tip for losing weight is to stay away from high-calorie food and drinks. Buy food fresh. Avoid frozen foods, try to buy all your food fresh. Drink anything that doesn't have calories and avoid fried foods. Cooking oil is your diets enemy. The only oil I ever use is olive oil, I use it for everything. I know you can't stir-fry with olive oil, but canola oil is good for high heat.

If you want to know how many calories your body needs, you can find that on the internet. Just search "How many calories do I need?"and you'll find a dozen websites that will calculate that for you.

Americans are used to eating twice the calories we should. It's not that hard to lose weight, the only reason people regain the lost weight is because they return to their old lifestyle. You want to adopt a new lifestyle to lose your body fat and never look back. Over time, the fat will disappear and you'll be a new person who will be happier than even.

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're trying to lose weight and exercise that will help you lose weight. I wrote an ebook that will give you all the info in one read. It's a how-to book that also tells you about the mistakes I made and how to avoid them.

My ebook is available at www.amazon.com, www.B&N.com, iBooks (download the app), kobo.com, scribd.com and many more. My ebook will go on sale in May for $1.99. This special will only last for a limited time.

About My Ebook

I have to explain and correct something I wrote a couple of days ago. I sell my e-book for $3.99 on all the internet bookstores. I wanted to put the book on sale for two weeks to try to reach another buyer who only buys in that price range. If you don't sell ebooks you might not know but the $1.99 price is the most popular price in the e-book market, by far. So I wanted to get those people interested and last weekend I changed the price for this two-week sale.

A few days later, I got an email from the publisher saying the price change had been approved and the bookstores would be making the change over the next 7 to 10 days. So I want you to know that depending on which bookstore you use, you might have to wait a week or so before you see the price change. So if you're interested in the savings, watch the price at your online bookstore and be patient it will appear this month.

I'm sorry for the confusion.

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I write about losing weight, how to lose weight, what foods to eat when you're trying to lose weight and exercise that will help you lose weight. I wrote an ebook that will give you all the info in one read. It's a how-to book that also tells you about the mistakes I made and how to avoid them.

My e-book is available at www.amazon.com, www.B&N.com, iBooks (download the app), kobo.com, scribd.com and many more. My e-book will go on sale in May for $1.99. This special will only last for a limited time.

Change Your Food, Change Your Life, and Lose Weight

There have been thousands of studies done by scientists all over the world on the subject of eating good foods for better health. Everyone seems to agree, the way to good health is to eat fewer calories. In one study all the seniors that were interviewed were eating less than 2000 calories a day and women about 300 less than men. Women don’t metabolize calories the same as men. No one said that they felt like they were on a diet, they felt like they had plenty to eat. So I decided to try it. I was going to change, kick those bad habits of eating empty calories and start eating food that would help my body.

First, I had to start keeping a record of my calorie intake. Then I knew I’d have to change some of the things I was eating so I could get more nutrition out of my calories. I could eat just bread and pastries and stay under 2000 calories but I’d run out of energy. I knew I’d have to maximize the nutrition in the calories so I had the energy to work, exercise and maintain my body.

I knew I’d have to give up eating a lot of the foods I liked and start eating the foods my body needed. Today it’s so much easier to get good information than in years past with all the information on the internet and the easy access using your cell phone or your laptop or use the computers at the library if you don’t have internet access at home. Today you can’t turn on a talk show on Television or go to the bookstore without seeing something about diet and nutrition. There’s thousands of websites and hundreds of books dealing the subject.

Keeping a record of the food I was eating really helped me see what I was doing wrong. After a few weeks of keeping records, it’s easy for anyone to see the mistakes. The hardest part for me was giving up alcohol for several months until I reached my goal. After that, I eased back to a moderate one drink a day. Alcohol will mess with your metabolism and keep you from burning calories, and it also is a big source of calories. Yes, a lite beer is only 100 calories or some as little as 65 calories but the alcohol will interfere with your body’s ability to burn calories, so alcohol in general even if you stay below your proper calorie intake will keep you from burning calories. Once you reach your goal one drink a day won’t hurt, but you’re not trying to lose weight only maintain it.

You don’t have to go without food to lose weight, just stop eating the junk and start eating the good stuff. Cut your portions and don’t skip meals. Skipping meals will keep you from losing weight. Everyone thinks I’m lying but eating will spike your metabolism and that’s what burns calories. Eat something as early as possible and try to eat something small about 6 times a day. Just remember small portions all day long.When I was trying to lose I would stick to 300 calories at a meal and 6 meals a day. Others have more luck, with a three meal plan that reverses meal size. You eat the largest meal for breakfast. Smaller at lunch and only a snack size meal for dinner. You might have heard of it. You eat like a King for breakfast, a Prince for lunch and Pulper for dinner. The idea is to consume 80% of your calories early in the day so you have time to burn them. That's the opposite of what people do today. Today we eat too much at night and we don't do any activities to burn the calories. That's the time of day when your metabolism is almost dormant. Which means most of the food you're consuming at night will be turned into fat. Only a small part will be digested. 

The fastest way to start losing weight is to change your eating habits. 

Eat real food for breakfast like Oatmeal or one egg and one piece of Bacon or Canadian Bacon(ham). To jump-start your metabolism you need to eat some protein the first hour your up. Some people who always seem to be pressed for time will make a protein shake and drink it while their driving. You can make those shakes the night before then take it out of the frig in the morning and blend it and pour it. In two minutes you're gone, you have coffee later. That's about 300 calories.

Next, because you packed snacks the night before, around 10 a.m. while you're drinking coffee, you have a Greek Yogurt or half a sandwich with real cheese not processed or peanut butter, just be careful what your buying, read the labels. Personally, I buy the ground peanuts, they're in paste form like peanut butter, but they have no additives. Manufacturers use palm oil in jar peanut butter and I never eat palm oil or those other chemicals. 

Lunch is next about three hours later and if you bagged your lunch then you want to eat a sandwich and a piece of fruit. Try to only have bottled water or tea with no sugar. Your should be drinking about 4 bottled water at work, one every two hours. I can get a little tired of plain water so I flavor it with lemon juice, no calories in that. Sometimes I bring celery or radishes to eat with the sandwich at lunch. Both of them have lots of nutrition. This is another low-calorie meal, but it only has to last you 3 hours and then you can eat again. When you cut your calories, you want every calorie to count for increased energy. And you don't want to get your energy from sugar highs. Lunch is where most of us go off the diet. You're out with a friend and you're in a restaurant looking at the menu and trying to do damage control by not eating anything that will add pounds but you're trying to eat normal so you don't have to explain what you ordered. I always order salads for lunch in a restaurant. I try to order one with seafood, like shrimp and I get the salad plain and then I put olive oil and lemon. It might not be what you like but I had to get used to eating lots of things I never had before and you will get too, it's not bad tasting food, it's just not what you are used to. Again, I drink water with lemon or iced tea no sweetener. 

Mid-afternoon, about 3 hours after lunch you want about a 300 calorie snack, so I'd have a greek yogurt and a piece of fruit. I pick greek yogurt because there's less added sugar, Get your sugar from the fruit you eat, not out of a packet or as an additive in your food. Personally, I buy the greek yogurt plain and add my own fruit. I buy the blueberries or strawberries in the frozen food section, there's nothing added. But if you're bringing your snacks from home you have many choices. You want to stay within the daily calorie count and you want something nutritious. Another idea would be a handful of mixed nuts or just almonds.

Dinner is next about three hours later and for dinner, that's when I eat meat and usually a vegetable or a salad with fruit and vegetables. No gravy on the meat. No salad dressing, use olive oil and lemon or vinegar. When eating meat, I try to eat fish as much as possible and white meat chicken or turkey about twice a week. When I was trying to drop pounds I was following the Mediterranean diet and I'll go over that in more detail later in the book.

Finally, the sixth meal was about three hours after dinner. I'd have another greek yogurt. You can substitute with fruit if you like.

That was my whole day and you will lose weight, you'll have lots of energy and you won't be hungry. You might want to skip that last snack if you eat dinner late and go to bed early. Try not to eat the last two hours before bed.

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My new ebook is in online bookstores now. You can go to Amazon.com and type the title in the search bar: How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight? The price is $3.99. I think you'll find it interesting. I write about myself and my battle with weight and all the mistakes I made and how you can avoid the mistakes and lose the unwanted body fat.

The ebook is also at http://barnesandnoble.com and they have a special introductory offer right now $2.99. Also available on iBooks, Kobo, Scribd, and others worldwide.

 

Not Exercising? That's as Bad as Smoking

New studies show how bad immobility can be. Some people just don't believe working out is necessary. "My grandmother lived to 92 and I never saw her do any exercise." I hear that a lot. I understand but people from that generation lived a hard life. Physical demands on even the housewife were pretty tuff. There was no dishwashers, no washing machines just a tub and a ringer. Before World War II a lot of families didn't have hot water,  the only heat was a coal burning furnace. Homes had no TV's until the 50's and no supermarkets. A housewife worked about 16 hours a day. Most men worked some type of blue collar job. 

The reason I bring up this hard life that those people had from that World War I generation is because they were much healthier because they were much more active than people today. They were actually more active then and healthier than their children. We have to workout today because today we work with our minds and do little physical work compared to our grandparents. Read the short article below 

When you see someone smoking, you might question “Why would you do that to yourself when you know it could kill you?” Do you react the same way when you know someone doesn’t exercise? You should.
When I was at a recent medical conference, one of the presenters reminded the audience that research has shown physical inactivity to be as deadly as smoking. I was shocked at this when I first heard it a couple of years ago, but I think I was just as shocked hearing it the second time. My guess is you are too. It’s hard to imagine being inactive could be comparable to smoking, but it is.
You wouldn’t dream of smoking (and if you do smoke, you’re likely trying to quit), so why poison yourself with inactivity? But many of us do. Nearly 80% of us don’t get the recommended amount of exercise. Many experts agree the inactivity epidemic is more concerning than the obesity epidemic.
The benefits of exercise are numerous and irrefutable. It helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, breast and colon cancer, dementia, depression, and more. If you exercise, chances are you’ll live a longer, healthier life. Period.
What’s so powerful about exercise? Take heart disease, for example. Heart disease is associated with inflammation in the body. Exercise is a natural inflammation fighter. When you move, your muscles send out anti-inflammatory chemicals.
Also, every time you get up and move, your blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides improve. When you sit down, they get worse. It’s just about moving more.
If you’re not active now, I’m sure it sounds overwhelming to start an exercise program. The good news is you can see health benefits with even a small amount of activity. Even taking a daily 5-minute walk around the office will improve your health. Slowly build up from there.
Ultimately, you want your goal to be 30 minutes at least 5 days a week of moderate exercise. We’re talking about a brisk walk– hard enough that you can talk comfortably but not able to sing. But take your time getting there. Throw in resistance exercises a couple of days a week, and you’re on track.
If you’ve tried exercise before and didn’t lose weight, don’t be discouraged. You are still getting health benefits even if you’re not shedding weight. If you’re overweight but active and fit, you can expect to live as long and healthy as someone who is normal weight and fit. Even if you’re obese, being active helps you live a longer, healthier life than a normal weight person who isn’t active.
Think you’re too old for it to matter? Hardly. Regardless of your age, getting active has enormous benefits even in your 80s and beyond. We’re not just talking about living longer, but living better with a higher quality of life.
As British-American anthropologist, Ashley Montagu once said, “The idea is to die young as late as possible.” Stay fit and healthy as long as you can.