Heart HealthHeart Healthy Lettuce – Reach for the dark, leafy greens
Are you a die hard fan of ice berg lettuce? Iceberg lettuce is a source of vitamins A, C, K, and B6; along with some fiber, potassium, and folate. This probably sounds great, but compared to romaine lettuce, iceberg falls short nutritionally.
Romaine lettuce has 7 times more vitamin A than iceberg lettuce and about twice the amount of calcium and potassium. Also, dark leafy greens contain the antioxidant beta carotene. Antioxidants help protect against inflammatory disorders, such as heart disease.
So, next time you make a salad, by-pass the iceberg and reach for the leafy romaine.
Be sure to sign-up for The Heart of Health and grab your special report “Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health”!
Heart HealthAchieve a work-life balance for your health!
I have teamed up this month with Joy on the Job expert Doris Helge, Ph.D. Part of living a healthy life is maintaining a balance between your work and your life. When you don’t meet your needs, your work quality, your relationships and your health deteriorate. Everyone loses when you fail to set healthy boundaries and practice the art of compassionate assertiveness so you can enjoy the work-life balance you deserve.
In this guest post from Doris, you’ll learn how to say “no thank you” to what you don’t want and “YES!” to what you do want. Enjoy! Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
Say “YES” to Work-Life Balance
by Doris Helge, Ph.D. © 2008
A client I’ll call Jenny called me in tears. “I have no work-life balance. The people I work with want everything instantly. My husband wants credit when he helps out with the kids . . . as if he isn’t also 50 percent responsible for them! To me, work-life balance isn’t a luxury. It’s essential. If I can’t get some quality time for myself, I’ll be no good to anyone at work or at home.”
Do you sometimes feel like a puppet whose strings are pulled up, down, right, and left at the same time? Ouch!
It’s time to set boundaries and practice the art of compassionate assertiveness. Then you can enjoy the work-life balance you deserve.
YOU ALREADY HAVE THE POWER TO DEVELOP WORK-LIFE BALANCE
No matter what you’ve been told, you are in charge of your own life. You are the only person who can say with conviction, “Wait a minute please. I’m busy right now. As soon as I finish doing ______, I will give you my full attention.”
You are the sole individual who can identify your needs and establish healthy boundaries. You are also the only person on this planet who can maintain your personal boundaries without feeling guilty.
That’s personal power! We’re all very powerful people with a vast array of capabilities. Some of us have forgotten how to be assertive about our own needs. You may think that only harms the person who doesn’t stand up for themselves. Unfortunately, that’s not true. When you don’t say “No” to what you know isn’t right for you, you set a powerful negative ripple effect in motion.
EVERYONE LOSES WHEN YOU GIVE AWAY YOUR INNATE POWER
If you don’t set and maintain personal boundaries, everyone around you suffers. In fact, a nasty chain effect rumbles forward like a runaway train. Because you resent the fact that your needs aren’t met, you radiate an energy of, “I’m a victim.” The people around you react in a variety of ways. Here are some examples.
- Some people will become defensive about their behavior. They may even feel manipulated. Neither reaction will help you resolve the core issue.
- When you play the role of victim, other people rush forward to play the role of bully. They act like wild animals stalking a wounded prey.
- Some people become angry or frustrated when you don’t feel strong enough to say “No thank you” regarding what you don’t want, in a kind assertive manner. They develop a negative opinion about your ability to perform well in the future.
- Some people gather around you and commiserate about your sad situation. You may temporarily feel validated when surrounded by supporters. However, these are dangerous cheerleaders because your circumstances don’t improve when you reinforce the belief, “I’m a victim.”
- If you play the role of martyr, other people will follow your example. Whether you like it or not, you are always a role model for someone.
This brings us back to your personal power. Look at your impact on the lives of other people in the above examples. Since you can affect the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of the above people in such a significant way, how can you possibly feel like a victim of life?
TRANSFORM YOUR PAIN INTO POWER
Another choice is to set the intention of walking beyond your fear of change so you can become the confident, capable person you are destined to become. What’s the worst that can happen if you take a small step toward your true self?
Make a decision to enjoy the work-life balance you need and deserve today. Each time you say “No thank you” to what you don’t want, you send a clear signal to the universe saying, “YES!” to what you do want.
Visit http://www.FreeJoyOnTheJobEbooks.com and GET YOUR FREE EBOOKS: “Secrets of Happiness at Work,” “Employee Engagement Made Easy,” and “Get the Respect & Appreciation You Deserve Now.” Doris Helge, Ph.D., is 100% dedicated to empowering you to create more meaning, fun, and fulfillment at work. Dr. Doris is an executive coach & a corporate trainer for companies as large as Microsoft. Download sample chapters from Dr. Helge’s latest books, “Joy on the Job” & “Transforming Pain Into Power” at http://www.MoreJoyOnTheJob.com.
Heart HealthVote for me!
Would you do me a favor?
The company I license with to provide weight loss programs entered a contest! Please click the link below to vote for us. Look for the “Vote for Me” button beneath the Real Living Nutrition Services logo.
http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100/contestant/1608/index.php
Thank you!
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
Heart HealthPreserve potassium when preparing potatoes
If you’re making mashed potatoes or many other potato dishes, what do you do? Cube the potatoes and throw them in a pot of water to boil? If you want to hang on to the potassium potatoes offer, it’s best to boil the potato whole – skin and all. When potatoes are cubed or shredded then boiled, studies show a 75% loss of potassium.
Also, good news if you like to soak your potatoes in water overnight. Soaking potatoes does not result in a significant loss of nutrients to the water they’re soaked in.
Tired of changes that don't last?
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD
Heart HealthA Heart Friendly Starbucks?
I may have some good news for Starbucks lovers.
Normally, the high sugar, high fat, high calorie beverage and menu items offered by Starbucks were reasons to steer clear if you struggle to lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol, or shed extra pounds.
Starbucks is typically not the best place to grab a quick breakfast with a Frappuccinno, while scanning the daily paper.
Simply selecting a Grande Frappuccino and Cranberry Orange Muffin would start your day with a whopping 850 calories and 30 grams of fat!
In the past Starbucks has not embraced the idea of offering more nutritious items. They did remove trans fats and started offering nonfat milk this past year, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Continue readingHeart HealthGlacier National Park
Summer vacation’s have come to a close. The girls and I returned home from about 3 weeks in Kansas on August 11th and hit the road for 4 days in Glacier National Park August 13th.
It meant another 8 hours on the road. . .spending this much time on the road back to back wasn’t our original plan. We had intended to visit Glacier in June, but after starting to plan to trip quickly learned June is not the best time to visit Glacier (trails are still snow packed).
Glacier is another beautiful park. I learned something new. I always thought it was named Glacier after the glacier’s present in the park today (down to 20), but it’s named Glacier after glaciers from millions of years ago that formed all the valleys and peak’s.
The two main goals of our visit included driving the Going to the Sun Road and seeing Grinnell Glacier (only glacier accessible via a trail). Beautiful views and features visible from the Going to the Sun Road (hard to believe it was constructed in the 20’s!).
We took in a couple short hikes, also. Here’s Katelyn getting a free ride.
Also, took a boat tour on St. Mary Lake (average depth 289 feet!).
We really enjoyed the hike to Grinnell Glacier. It was 12 miles round-trip (yes, we hiked it with a 2 year-old and 8 month-old!). We did shorten it 2 miles by catching a boat ferry back across a lake, so 10 mile hike for us.
Both girls did very well. Katelyn could hike up to a half-mile before needing back in the back-pack carrier. Keira was a trooper. I had to do some jogging on the way back down to make sure we caught the ferry across the lake (Eric and Katelyn were way ahead of us) and Keira just giggled while bouncing along. Here she is taking an afternoon nap while mom hiked.
We had lunch on the trail, saw wildlife (big horn sheep was perched directly over the trail), and had to hike through a small waterfall (which felt very good on the way back down!).
Here are a couple pictures about a half mile from our destination – Grinnell Glacier. Eric decided he needed to cool off (don’t blame him, Katelyn is pushing 40 pounds!). Keira’s all smiles at our pit stop and Katelyn shows off her hiking skills.
We made it! Here’s Grinnell Glacier. It covers 300 acres. Not sure its depth, but we learned in order to be classified a glacier it must be at least 100-150 feet thick. The pictures don’t do it justice, but you can pick out some of the large rocks stuck in the ice. I believe the rangers said Grinnell Glacier is the fastest melting glacier in the park.
We’ll have to add a new entry to the baby books – “Baby’s First Glacier”!
That’s our last road trip for awhile! A great place to visit, but it’s good to be home and get everything back in order.
As incentive to kick off a healthy fall season, I have planned a September bonus. Be sure to sign up for The Heart of Health to receive details on the September bonus, as well as, regular heart health and weight loss tips!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN