7 Bad Eating Habits You Should Change Immediately

by: Emily Clark

People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don't believe me? Just tune-in to any source of advertising...you're instantly bombarded with the latest diet schemes and "Hollywood" food fads.    Here in America, we have built a thriving industry trying to control our weight and treat the consequences of over-indulgence. The cost of weight loss and obesity related health care treatments is staggering...Americans alone spend around $114 billion every year! And even with all this interest in losing weight, we continue to pack on the pounds like never before...    - A whopping 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese...up about eight percent from earlier estimates.    - Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 percent or almost nine million are overweight...triple the rate in 1980!    - Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese. For Americans, modern life may be getting TOO easy. Our cushy lifestyle means we expend less energy and consequently need fewer calories to sustain our normal body weight.    Think about it for a moment... Entertainment no longer requires energy expenditure. In fact, it's usually quite the opposite. We now entertain ourselves in the comfort of our own home while watching TV and munching on our favorite snack.    Whether it's television, computers, remote controls, or automobiles, we are moving less and burning fewer calories. Common activities that were once a part of our normal routine have disappeared...activities like climbing stairs, pushing a lawn mower or walking to get somewhere. And please do not misunderstand me...I appreciate comfortable living just as much as the next person. But, here is the problem...    With all of our modern day conveniences and "cushy" style of living we have not adjusted our caloric intake to compensate for our decreased caloric expenditure. We consume more calorie rich and nutrient deficient foods than ever before.    Consider a few of the following examples comparing what we eat "today" vs the 1970's (U.S. Department of Agriculture survey):    - We are currently eating more grain products, but almost all of them are refined grains (white bread, etc.). Grain consumption has jumped 45 percent since the 1970's, from 138 pounds of grains per person per year to 200 pounds! Only 2 percent of the wheat flour is consumed as whole wheat.   - Our consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, but only because French fries and potato chips are included as vegetables. Potato products account for almost a third of our "produce" choices.    - We're drinking less milk, but we've more than doubled our cheese intake. Cheese now outranks meat as the number one source of saturated fat in our diets.    - We've cut back on red meat, but have more than made up for the loss by increasing our intake of chicken (battered and fried), so that overall, we're eating 13 pounds more meat today than we did back in the 1970's.    - We're drinking three times more carbonated soft drinks than milk, compared to the 1970's, when milk consumption was twice that of pop.    - We use 25 percent less butter, but pour twice as much vegetable oil on our food and salads, so our total added fat intake has increased 32 percent.    - Sugar consumption has been another cause of our expanding waistlines. Sugar intake is simply off the charts. People are consuming roughly twice the amount of sugar they need each day, about 20 teaspoons on a 2000 calorie/day diet.    The added sugar is found mostly in junk foods, such as pop, cake, and cookies. In 1978, the government found that sugars constituted only 11 percent of the average person's calories. Now, this number has ballooned to 16 percent for the average American adult and as much as 20 percent for American teenagers!    Unfortunately, it would seem that the days of wholesome and nutritious family dinners are being replaced by fast food and eating on-the-run. We have gradually come to accept that it's "OK" to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of convenience and that larger serving portions equate to better value.    It's time recognize that we are consuming too many calories and time to start doing something about it! Each of us can decide TODAY that healthy eating and exercise habits WILL become a normal part of our life!    We can begin by exploring our values, thoughts and habits... slowly and deliberately weed-out the unhealthy habits and activities and start living a more productive and rewarding life.   And remember, it has taken a long time to develop bad habits, so be patient as you work toward your goal!    The information contained in this article is for educational purposes  only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any  disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any  health care program.   About the Author Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News  where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics. All About Women, Please Visit : ALL ABOUT CANCER INFO,  BEAUTY TOP SECRETS, INFO WEIGHT LOSE TIPS, ALL ABOUT JEWELRY, ACNE REMOVE TIPS.

6 Surefire Ways to Achieve Your Goals

by: Lorraine Pirihi

Hope you had a good rest and are all fired up for the year ahead. Whilst you were sitting on the beach or lazing around during your time off, which of the following changes to your life did you decide to make this year?    To have the body of Elle McPherson or Nathan Buckley    Find a stimulating job Take up a sport or hobby Buy your dream home Travel to an exotic destination Have more time with your family Establish your own business Double your income Become involved in the community Develop your creativity Improve your skills Create a plan for your financial future Have more fun Enhance your current relationship or find a new partner    All of the above To help you channel your energy into achieving this year's goals, here are some practical ways to get started. After all, there is no reason why you shouldn't start immediately, is there?    How to Get Started 1. Write a list of what you want to achieve this year. 2. Make sure what you've written down is specific, measurable and attainable. e.g. Lose 5 kgs 3. Write no.1 against the most important goal. Write no.2 against the next most important goal. Continue numbering the rest of the goals. 4. Look at the goal with no.1 next to it. i.e. lose 5 kilos. Start a separate list with the heading . ..    Lose 5 kilos.    5. Write down the action steps you need to take to achieve this goal: a. Join gym b. Decide which specific days and times you will attend c. Purchase gym gear d. See nutritionist 6. Enter the action steps into your diary/electronic organiser on the day(s) you will do these: Jan 15th - join gym Jan 16th - book nutritionist Attend gym Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 6.00 a.m.    Ensure when you book time for yourself in your diary you treat it as a top priority. Unless there is an earthquake or equally devastating disaster occurring, keep that time sacred.    To ensure your goals are achieved it is imperative to write them down and then plan the appropriate steps to take in your diary. Otherwise your goals could end up being wishful thinking!    Goal/Dream Chart Having visual reminders is a great way to prompt and keep you motivated to follow through. Cut out a picture of the body you'd like to have from a magazine and stick a photo of your head on top of it. Alternatively if you want to recapture the way you were some time ago, find an old photo of yourself. You can place these on your desktop, car dashboard and the fridge at home.    Do this for your other goals (minus the head). In fact having a dream chart with pictures or words of the things you want to achieve is a great stimulus for your sub-conscious mind. Sticking these reminders onto green paper is even more effective. I have one of these in my office and guess what? It actually works!    Action Is The Key Once you've identified what you want, written it down, planned when you will take action and done your goal/dream chart, nothing will happen unless you get off your butt and take action towards those goals.   Avoid the 'Too Much Too Soon' Syndrome Often people try making many changes at once then get disillusioned because there are too many things to do and just give up. If you've done this in the past, tackle one goal at a time. If you really have difficulty going it alone, you may benefit from using the services of a coach like myself who will keep you on track. The right person will help you accelerate your success.    Jenny's Story One of my clients was extremely overweight by at least 30 kilos. Apart from her business goals, losing the weight was her highest priority …or so she said. We looked at her diet and exercise and worked out a plan, according to what she was committed to do. Notice here I've said committed.    Over the three months I worked with Jenny she was like most people in this area…inconsistent. She'd exercise regularly and eat healthily for a couple of weeks and then make excuses as to why she couldn't or wouldn't stick to the plan.    There was no reason why she couldn't achieve her weight loss goal, after all the program we worked out together was easy to do. A few changes to her eating habits, regular exercise and planning would do the trick.    The only challenge was Jenny. She wouldn't consistently do it. It all boiled down to that she wasn't serious enough about losing the weight and was not prepared to make the changes…yet. I did suggest seeing a nutritionist or making contact with a specific weight loss organisation to provide her with continuing support. However, Jenny was adamant that she could manage herself.    After three months of coaching, Jenny lost 5 kilos. It was certainly better than nothing, however she could have lost much more if only she took the necessary action, consistently.    A few weeks later I rang Jenny to see how she was progressing with the various changes she had made through coaching. She excitedly told me she had finally got her act together as a result of the progress she had made with me, joined Weightwatchers and lost another 20kgs! She got committed.    Dare to Fail In Billi Lim's bestselling book "Dare to Fail" he shares the following story: A woman once walked up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look", she said. "What's the secret for a long happy life?' "I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day', he said. "I also drink a case of whisky a week, eat fatty foods and never exercise." "That's amazing, the woman said. "How old are you?" "Twenty-six", he said.   The Final Word You too can achieve your goals if you really want to. The goals you set must fit in with your values. For instance if you really value your health and well-being (and you should…you're no good to anyone if you're sick or even worse…dead,) then it will be easier for you to take action around this area.    Plan and get off your butt now because it won't be long until you hear that familiar cry "I'm too busy, I don't have the time!"    About the Author Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!" To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au   All About Women, Please Visit : ALL ABOUT CANCER INFO,  BEAUTY TOP SECRETS, INFO WEIGHT LOSE TIPS, ALL ABOUT JEWELRY, ACNE REMOVE TIPS.