Better Health - Jillies Blog

Barriers to Physical Activity

September 7, 2022

Finding the time and interest to build physical activity into your daily life can sometimes be difficult. We can all come up with lots of barriers to avoid exercise.

The best type of physical exercise is to do what you enjoy, is within your capabilities, you have the resources for and will be sustainable.

I have listed below several common barriers to physical activity. Do you recognise any that may apply to you?

insufficient time to exercise
inconvenience of exercise
lack of self-motivation
non-enjoyment of exercise
boredom with exercise
lack of confidence in their ability to be physically active (low self-efficacy)
fear of being injured or having been injured recently
lack of self-management skills, such as the ability to set personal goals, monitor
progress, or reward progress toward such goals
lack of encouragement, support, or companionship from family and friends
non-availability of parks, sidewalks, bicycle trails, or safe and pleasant walking
illness or disability

cost
facilities
illness or injury
transportation
partner issues
skill
safety considerations
child care
uneasiness with change
unsuitable programs
exercise/gym intimidation

Make a list from the list above or add your own reasons that might apply to you. Think of some ways to get around these barriers to enable you to achieve your exercise goals.

You may find it helpful to discuss your needs with a personal trainer, your doctor, exercise physiologist or a life coach.

Almost anybody can safely take up walking, and light to moderate exercise is usually fine for healthy adults with no symptoms or potential for injury. If you plan your exercise program to follow guidelines to exercise safely this will reduce or eliminate injuries and you won’t loose valuable time sitting out injured.

It’s wise to talk to a doctor if you have any questions about your health or plan to start more vigorous workouts, especially if you haven’t been active recently.

The best person to discuss your health with initially is your doctor. Definitely if you have any injuries, but also to exclude and monitor any chronic or unstable health conditions. For example heart disease or to exclude risk factors for heart disease, a respiratory ailment like asthma, high blood pressure, joint or bone disease (including osteoporosis), a neurological illness, or diabetes. Also consult your doctor if you suspect you may have an illness that would interfere with an exercise program or if you have been experiencing any troublesome symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness.

Your doctor will conduct a physical examination and check your blood pressure, weight and talk to you about your history. You may get a referral to a dietitian, exercise physiologist or another health professional to help you get started and monitor your progress.

Tips for Exercising Safely

When you have discussed your current health situation with your doctor, go ahead and start your program.

These tips below can help you avoid injuries and enable you to move forward with your plan.

Take five to 10 minutes to warm up and cool down properly. In your program have a warmup session, this may be upper and lower body exercises and light cardio. This will prepare your body for your exercise session. An example may be if you are out walking, walk slower for about 500 meters and allow yourself to warm up.

Start slowly and boost your activity level gradually unless you are already exercising frequently and vigorously. This would definitely be if you are a newbie. Remember your tendons, ligaments and muscles need to strengthen to cope with the increased activity and load.

Be aware that training too hard or too often can cause overuse injuries like stress fractures, stiff or sore joints and muscles, and inflamed tendons and ligaments, as above.

Different sports will have different effects on body parts. For example swimming (shoulders), jogging (knees, ankles, and feet), tennis (elbows) — are often overuse culprits, too. If you vary your sports, stretch and rest sufficiently after each session you will reduce and/or eliminate injuries. Shoulders, knees and ankles are very prone to injury especially in the over 50/60 age groups, start any of these exercises slowly.

Listen to your body. Hold off on exercise when you’re sick or feeling very fatigued. Cut back if you cannot finish an exercise session, feel faint after exercise or fatigued during the day, or suffer persistent aches and pains in joints after exercising.

If you stop exercising for a while, drop back to a lower level of exercise initially. If you’re doing strength training, for example, lift lighter weights or do fewer reps or sets.

For most people, simply drinking plenty of water is sufficient. But if you’re working out especially hard or doing a marathon or triathlon, choose drinks that replace fluids plus essential electrolytes. This is necessary in the hotter months of the year when you are sweating more during your sessions.

Choose clothes and shoes designed for your type of exercise. Monitor your shoe condition and replace shoes every six months or as necessary when cushioning wears out. Buying shoes can be confusing because of the market. A suggestion would be to go to a local sports store and seek assistance from a professional. Some sport shoe shops measure your foot and also identify variants in your foot and suggest the most appropriate fitting shoe for you.

For strength training, good form is essential. Initially use no weight, or very light weights, when learning the exercises. Never sacrifice good form by hurrying to finish reps or sets, or struggling to lift heavier weights.

Exercising vigorously in hot, humid conditions can lead to serious overheating and dehydration. Exercise during cooler morning or evening hours or at an air-conditioned gym. Watch for signs of overheating, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, faintness, cramps, or palpitations.

Dress properly for cold-weather workouts to avoid hypothermia. Depending on the temperature, wear layers you can peel off as you warm up. Gloves and neck scarves can be a helpful addition to your sports gear.
Purchase reflective gear for the times when you are out in the early morning or late afternoon.

Delayed muscle soreness that starts 12 to 24 hours after a workout and gradually abates is a normal response to taxing your muscles. By contrast, persistent or intense muscle pain that starts during a workout or right afterward, or muscle soreness that persists more than one to two weeks, merits a call to your doctor or physiotherapist for assessment and advice.

_{This post offers information that is designed for educational and information purposes only. Do not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace medical treatment or advice. If you have any concerns about your health, you should always consult your doctor or health professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice because of something you have read in this article.}

What is the meaning of SAD

June 2, 2022

The winter months and the colder temperatures can sometimes trigger a slump in our mood. This is known as Situational Affective Disorder (SAD).
If you find are experiencing this try these techniques to boost your mood.

Typically, those with SAD will experience some of the following symptoms:

Symptoms and Causes of SAD

Low mood
Weight gain due to overeating
Weight Loss
Sleeping more often than usual
Lack of enjoyment in activities normally found pleasurable
Irritability

Those with SAD may experience weight loss due to lack of appetite, issues sleeping or insomnia, and feelings of anxiety. There are several proposed theories to explain SAD, most of which come from a biological perspective. These include a lack of vitamin D and serotonin and overproduction of melatonin.

Natural Remedies

There is a range of options widely used to treat SAD some of which include drug treatments such as antidepressants, as well as cognitive behavioural therapy. Alongside these treatment methods, patients may benefit from a range of natural remedies that can be used to manage and prevent symptoms.

Light Therapy

Studies have shown that bringing light into the home has benefits for you mood and helps to regulate the bodies circadian rhythm. A salt lamp, light box or even a collection of carefully monitored candles can help- even for as little time as 30 minutes a day.

Himalayan Salt Lamp Rock Crystal Natural Light

More advanced light therapy is a common natural remedy used to treat seasonal affective disorder and is characterised by the use of a light box to replace the lack of sunlight in the winter months. The light emitted from the box is approximately 20 times brighter than typical indoor lights. Its use is recommended for approximately 30 minutes to two hours per day, early in the morning.

In order to prevent potential symptoms from developing, users are suggested to start light therapy before winter months begin. Furthermore, results are normally seen in a few weeks. Activities such as reading and eating are permitted while using the box, as long as light enters the pupils.

Light therapy may not be appropriate for everyone though. For example, its use is not recommended for on photosensitising medication such as antipsychotics and phenothiazines. Potential side effects for others may include headaches, eye strain, and blurred vision.

Exercise

Exercise is known to have a myriad of health benefits. It is linked to the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and muscle bone and joint diseases. The effectiveness of exercise interventions has been observed in those with non-seasonal major depression. As a consequence, these are being investigated for their usefulness in SAD.

Research investigating the impact of light therapy and aerobic exercise on symptoms of SAD found that 20 minutes of pedaling on a stationary bike was as effective as light therapy in producing a significant reduction in symptoms. Furthermore, it is suggested that regular exercise can increase serotonin levels in the brain. This finding could be beneficial to those with SAD, who typically have lower serotonin levels during depressive episodes.

The timing of exercise is important. For those with SAD, exercising at night is not recommended because it could cause a phase-delay in the onset of melatonin release during the following night. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, which is involved in the regulation of wakefulness. If the cycle of melatonin production is disturbed by night-time exercise, individuals may struggle to sleep the following night.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is synthesised by the skin following exposure to sunlight and is believed to play a role in serotonin activity. Those with SAD have been found to produce less vitamin D, and its deficiency has been associated with clinically significant depressive symptoms.

There are two natural remedies with the potential to address this. Firstly, those with SAD could spend more time outdoors. They should plan winter vacations to sunny climates before winter starts since after this period they lose the motivation to do so. Secondly, vitamin D supplements could be taken to increase levels. If taken before winter darkness begins, it may prevent the onset of symptoms.

Diet

Research has found that implementing diet changes may have a positive impact on reducing the onset and severity of symptoms in those with SAD. Specifically, patients should cut out nicotine, caffeine and alcohol consumption, while maintaining a balanced diet such as the The Clean Eating Diet.

The consumption of processed food should be avoided due to the lack of vital nutrients including folate in such foods. Folate is found in a variety of vegetables including broccoli and Brussel sprouts, as well as legumes. Low levels of folate have been found to be associated with an increase in the onset of depressive symptoms.

Self Help

Finding ways to reduce stress is also of benefit in preventing the symptoms of SAD or at least in reducing their severity. Some methods could include meditation on deeper truths, walking, and intentionally focusing on the beauty and detail in ordinary things.

As well as prescription drugs, therefore, there is a range of natural remedies that can be used in order to treat some of the symptoms associated with seasonal affective disorder.

It is always beneficial to monitor your own mood and if you are feeling sad or depressed or if you are unable to manage your symptoms contact you family Doctor or a Health Professional to ensure you have support.

The following contact numbers are for Queensland Australia. If you are in need of support or know someone who is in need of support contact the Health Service of your local area.
Emergency 000
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1300 789 978
DV Connect Women’s line 1800 811 811
DV Connect Mensline 1800 600 636
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

How to Turn Your Delicious Recipes into Healthy Recipes

May 12, 2022

We all know cooking at home is a healthier choice over choosing the drive-thru or dining out. However, it’s important to remember that recipes are created simply for their texture and flavor, but don’t always take health into consideration. To make it easier for you to cook more healthfully, here are a few tips that you can use on a variety of recipes.

For many recipes it’s easy to simply reduce the amount of fat or oil used to make cooking easier. Non-stick cookware means you need little or no fat when cooking on the stovetop. Greasing baking dishes is often unnecessary as well, but you may have to experiment a little.

For fats and oils used for baking cakes and muffins, you can often substitute them with apple puree. For cookies, aim to replace about ½ the oil with puree. You can even aim for a more healthful impact by using highly nutritious sweet potato puree as a fat and oil substitute.

If a recipe calls for saturated fats like butter or even lard, replace it with vegetable or olive oil. Of course, this won’t always work in recipes that call for creaming of butter. In those cases, you might try margarine or simply reduce the amount of butter.

In baking, you can usually replace 1 egg with 2 egg yolks for the same desired result, but with less cholesterol.

Try replacing at least half the white flour in a recipe with whole wheat. Many recipes will work with a complete replacement, so experiment a little. Your health is at stake.

Many sweet recipes are sweeter than they need to be. Don’t be shy about reducing the sugars. Definitely do this where sweeteners are often added after cooking. For example, there is no reason pancake or waffle batter needs a lot of sugar when syrup, fruit and other sweet items are added afterwards.

To salt or not to salt? In savory foods, salt is usually not necessary. For baked goods, while many may say otherwise, it’s not always necessary either. One exception is baked goods using yeast. Salt slows down the rising process and produces better texture, so it is likely necessary, but you can try reducing the amount of salt used.

Try lower fat dairy products in your recipes. Instead of heavy cream, use half and half. Instead of whole or 2% milk, try skim. The same goes for sour cream, yogurt and cheeses. Just make sure to read the label for quality ingredients as lower quality products tend to add undesirable ingredients and chemicals to make their low fat varieties more palatable.

Healthy Food Swaps

Choosing healthier foods is easier than you may think. There are some simple everyday changes you can make to get you on your way to a healthier lifestyle without losing all the things you love.

It’s all about eating fewer foods that are high in calories, fat, salt and sugars and swapping them for something healthier, including more fruit and vegetables and wholegrains.

Healthy eating and getting active can help you lose centimetres from around your waist and reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as some cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

You don’t have to stop it, just swap it. For example, swap a big meal for a small meal. You can make these swaps as you go about your everyday life at work, at home or even while out shopping. It’s easy and these basic changes can add up to make a big overall difference to your diet.

Try these small changes when you have your next meal or drink, or when you open the cupboard or fridge for a snack.

Once you’ve got started, try thinking of your own healthier swaps, too. Food labels can help you to choose healthier options.

Breakfast

Swap from whole milk to light or skim milk.
Swap a sugar-coated breakfast cereal for a wholegrain breakfast cereal such as porridge or shredded wholegrain wheat cereal, with no added sugar.
Swap a sprinkle of sugar on your breakfast cereal for a topping of fresh or dried fruit.
Swap full-fat Greek yoghurt for fat-free Greek-style yoghurt or natural low-fat yoghurt.

Lunch

Swap white breads, bagels and muffins for wholegrain varieties.
Swap butter and cheese in your jacket potato for reduced fat spread and reduced salt and sugar baked beans.
Swap a tuna melt for a tuna salad sandwich on wholemeal bread, without mayo.
Swap a cheddar cheese filling in your sandwich for reduced-fat cheese.

Dinner

Swap creamy or cheesy sauces for tomato- or vegetable-based sauces on your pasta, meat or fish dishes.
Swap mashed potato made with butter and whole milk for mash with low-fat spread and a lower-fat milk such as light or skim milk.
Choose leaner cuts of meat, for example, steak rather than sausages.
Swap the frying pan for the grill when cooking meat.

Drinks

Swap your usual coffee made with whole milk to a ‘skinny’ coffee made with skim milk.
Swap a few of your sugary drinks for a glass of water.
Swap hot chocolate made with whole milk and served with whipped cream for a hot chocolate made with skimmed milk and no cream.

Snacks

Swap an iced coffee for a small fruit frappe.
Swap yoghurt-coated raisins for plain raisins.
Swap salted nuts for unsalted nuts.
Swap chips for rice cakes with lower fat cream cheese.

Healthy Reasons to Start Eating Clean

May 9, 2022

While the term itself has left dieticians and consumers alike confused about what it really means, “clean eating” generally refers to a diet that’s more on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and less on processed foods and meats. Clean eating isn’t a diet but rather a style of eating that emphases the quality of the food you eat and not the quantity. https://jilliesblog.com/what-is-clean-eating-2/

Clean eating nourishes your body with healthy and nutrient-dense foods. Clean foods fill your body with plentiful vitamins and minerals, high-quality protein and healthy fats, which improve heart and brain health, assist with weight management, build a stronger immune system and increase energy levels, among other benefits. Foods in their natural state have more flavour.

It’s from this that different interpretations start to take off, such as Paleo, dairy-free, or even complete vegan, which allows for absolutely no animal products of any kind. But whatever your way of getting there, here’s why you should make the change and start eating clean:

Examples of food in a Clean Diet

Fresh fruit
Apples, bananas, blueberries, grapes, oranges, strawberries, 100% fruit juice
Vegetables
Avocados, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, onion, peppers, salsa, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
Lean meats/protein
Dried beans, eggs from grass-fed chickens, fresh fish, grass-fed chickens, plain nut butters (no sugar added), unflavored nuts
Grain (cereal) foods
Those made with whole grains, air-popped popcorn, oats, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta
Dairy products
Cheese, milk, plain yogurt, unsweetened nondairy milks

1. Fruits and vegetables are naturally cleansing
It should come off as no surprise that fruits and vegetables can be cleansing in how they help eliminate the stored fat and toxins in your body and provide the nutrients your body needs to perform its various everyday functions.

2. You get to lose the weight
Exercise is great, but it’s by no means the only way for you to lose that extra weight. In fact, even without the workout, you can still shed those pounds just by swaping sugar for a healthier option and switching to a high-fiber diet loaded with vitamins and minerals.

One of the joys of eating foods that are close as possible to being in the form that nature gave them to us, is that your body tends to thrive and stay slim almost effortlessly! While there is no guarantee, clean eating is a much healthier option.

3. You’ll enjoy your food more
You’ll end up learning a lot of things when switching to a diet of fruits and vegetables: cooking and food preparation, and actually enjoying every meal.

Aside from eating more fruits and vegetables, eating clean is also all about eating with purpose and savoring every bite. This lets you actually take the time to taste everything you put in your mouth, and lets you form a better relationship with your food.

4. It makes you feel more energetic
Your digestive system has to break down what you consume into nutrients and energy, but when you don’t get the right food, your body’s stores will deplete quickly and you end up feeling exhausted more often. This also results in poor hormonal health and brain fog.

But the good news is that you can avoid brain fog, regain that focus, and start feeling healthier by making the right dietary choices – and that means eating clean.

5. Faster Recovery

You will find on a healthy diet your workouts are easier and your recovery time is cut down too. This is in part because of the minimized inflammation in your body, but also because of all the great antioxidants you are getting from your food.

6. Stronger Immune System

Anytime you’re consuming processed foods and sugar, your immune system has to spend energy protecting against what you’re putting in your body, leaving very little energy left to protect against illness. A clean eating lifestyle leads to a bolstered immune system that is more efficient in combating diseases and viruses. If you do get sick, your body will have more resources to recover quickly.

7. Less Cravings for Junk Food

Your body is naturally cleansing and detoxing, your organs are more efficient in cleansing your body. You will find that you have less cravings for junk food than you did prior to starting your clean eating diet. In a sense, you’re totally reprogramming your relationship with food in a positive way.

8. Cooking is Easier
The easiest way to eat clean? Cook your own food. That way you have total control over your ingredients and can be certain that your meals are indeed clean. Cooking also helps you avoid items that are advertised as healthy but are not. For example, many healthy juices found at grocery stores come loaded with sugar and cheap ingredients. It’s far better to buy your own ingredients to blend delicious juices.

9. Healthy Food Swaps(examples)

Instead of coffee creamer use a homemade, low sugar creamer. …
Drink sparkling water, green tea, or kombucha instead of soda. …
Try oatmeal, chia pudding, or a yogurt parfait instead of sugary cereal. …
Choose a healthy or homemade granola bar.

If at anytime you are concerned about your general health or diet contact your family doctor to discuss your general health and dietary goals.

Clean Eating – Getting Started

March 16, 2022

This article about clean eating is not a diet plan. It is suggestions for you to think about when you want to make changes to your lifestyle when it comes to the food you are eating. You will notice you become more energised, healthier and interested in taking care of yourself. A benefit of clean eating can be weight loss.

What does clean eating mean for you? For me it means a healthy way of eating, namely eating lots of fruit, vegetables, dairy products, fish. No unprocessed food, no junk food or fast food and cooking in very little fat/oil. If I do cook in oil it is olive oil or coconut oil. It is interesting to note that foods like steak, chicken and even some fish have their own natural juices and you don’t need to add oil to the cooking process. Other things I do is to drink alcohol in moderation and drink plenty of water.

How to get started

The first thing to decide is what exactly clean eating means for you and your family and being aware of your budget the foods available.

Our attitude to food also has an influence on what we eat.

The foundation of clean eating is choosing whole foods and foods in their less processed states—choosing from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses (beans, lentils, and peas), dairy, nuts, seeds, and high-quality animal and plant proteins. When possible, food choices are organic and based on what’s in season, readily available and within your budget.

Clean eating to you may mean choosing to eat healthy during the week and having fast food on the weekend. You can modify this to suit your lifestyle, however your overall goal is to eat healthier.

Whatever you choose the changes you make will make a difference then you can build on these changes when you can notice the difference to the way you feel.

Write a Shopping List

Plan your meals and write a grocery list. Modify the list to suit your personal preferences or your families preferences, also your budget.

If there are items on the list you wish to purchase and your budget doesn’t allow buy the items over weeks or months.

Thankyou to HealthyandHealthyMama for this sample shopping list. The list is a sample only, modify this list to suit your family and yourself and your budget. Again it may be a gradual process because you have to add several of these foods to your pantry.

Read the Labels

When you are shopping read the lables. There are several foods on the market that have reduced salt, even vegemite, buy the 40% reduced salt. Tomato sauce is available in reduced salt.

Check cereal and even soups for sugar content. It is surprising the amount of sugar you will find in these foods.

Don’t underestimate drinks

Choose suitable drinks for you and your family. Read the labels for sugar content and salt content. You will be surprised how much sugar is in these drinks. Find a low sugar and low salt drink that is suitable for you.

Encourage your family and yourself to drink water this is the best thing for your body. When you are going to the gym or participating in sports drink water. There are so many “health” drinks and gels that are full of sugar.

Cook your own Meals

The way foods are cooked has an effect on the nutritional value. Using the barbecue, fat free cooking, air frying and steaming vegetables are ways to keep your food healthy.

If you choose to eat out or have takeaway choose healthy options. Some fast food places offer healthy food and most restaurants have healthy choices on the menu. Choose steak and salad or grilled fish and salad or steamed vegetables. Stay away from sauces, deep fried foods and those that are cooked in batter.

What is the 80/20 Rule?

Another option is the 80/20 rule. It allows flexibility and breathing space and gives you time to think about how these changes are going to positively affect your health and wellbeing.

Eat clean 80% of the time
Eat dirty the other 20%

It’s a “rule” that is designed for moderation and maintenance. It not only allows you to enjoy the foods you love but encourages you to do so. It’s a plan that allows you to enjoy eating healthy most of the time and also enjoy special treats guilt-free.

With the 80/20 rule, there are no hard-and-fast rules to follow. It’s simply a guideline to lead you to better eating habits, which can ultimately help you reach and maintain your healthy lifestyle.

If you have been slowly developing poor eating habits over a period of time changing these habits gradually is more likely to be effective.

Don’t beat yourself up if you make gradual changes or slip up here and there, particularly in the beginning. The important thing is that you are doing something to eat foods that are better for your health and your body.

Check the post https://jilliesblog.com/what-is-clean-eating-2/ for more details on clean eating.