Category: Healthy Living

Four Ways To Help You Stay Focused

iStock woman with list - focused

Does this sound familiar?  One minute you’re whizzing through your to do list, the next minute you’re watching cute puppy videos on Facebook or scrolling through your favorite retail store’s website. If it does, you are not alone.   A recent study by Microsoft revealed that the average attention span is eight seconds.  NO wonder it takes effort to stay focused.

Too many distractions can cause you to get behind on necessary tasks and deadlines.  Even the smallest of distractions can begin to add up and affect our lives in every area.  When you find yourself  playing catch up to finish the things that MUST be completed, it can begin to take away from your own personal time.  Based on my twenty seven years of experience as a personal trainer, I can confirm that exercise and preparing meals are usually some of the first things that get pushed onto the back burner when there is a time-crunch.  The good news is there are things you can do to limit distractions in your day and maintain your concentration.

How To Stay Focused

Here are a few tips on how to stay focused throughout your day and guard your precious time.

Take breaks.  Yes, breaks actually help you stay focused.  Give yourself a short break every thirty minutes.  Your body will thank you for it and taking a moment to stop and reactivate your goal can help you maintain your concentration.

Keep your cell phone ringer off while working on deadlines.  Technology is a wonderful thing and we all need to stay connected.  However, research is showing that receiving texts or phone calls can result in more mistakes during a computer task.  If you’re working on a deadline it’s a good idea to turn your phone to silent and then set a time when you will check your phone and return messages.  Keeping it on silent allows you to have it close by in the event of a true emergency.

Limit multitasking.  A recent study suggests that your brain can’t handle more than two big tasks at one time.  It can divide two tasks successfully but any more than that is too much for your mind to juggle.  Personally, I think it’s a good idea to experiment with multitasking.  Figure out what works for you.  You may be someone that performs best when you focus on one big task while passively performing another.  For example, driving while listening to an audio book is a great way to learn while commuting from one place to another.

Practice awareness.  If you notice your mind wandering off, take a pause from whatever it is you are doing at that very moment.  Whenever I’m supposed to be writing a blog post and find myself surfing Facebook, I look at the clock and check to see if it’s time to get up and move.  It usually is so I’ll get up and get some water, a snack, or even throw in a load of laundry.  During that time I’ll get my thoughts together and even give myself a little “focus pep talk” This helps me become more present in the moment and take back control of how I’m spending my time.  We all drift off from time to time; it’s being aware of it that helps us redirect our attention back to the task at hand.

When it comes to successfully completing tasks, focus and discipline are necessary ingredients.  No two lives are the same so I recommend you experiment with these tips and then figure out what works for you personally.

Here’s to being super productive and successful!

With Love,
Jennifer

How to Curb Your Cravings Without Depriving Yourself

iStock_couple eatingsweets - cravings

Have you ever found yourself craving an entire bag of potato chips or a huge bowl of ice cream on a bad day?  Or, maybe some days seem harder than others to stick to your normal eating habits?  If so, you are NOT alone.

Research is showing us that controlling cravings is a lot less about will power and a lot more about creating new habits or in some cases addressing a nutritional deficiency.

Know What Your Cravings May Mean

If you’ve been finding it hard to satisfy your cravings, here’s what some of those cravings may mean and how you can curb them without feeling completely deprived.

    • Cravings for salty foods.  A craving for salty foods could mean that you are dehydrated or have a mineral or electrolyte imbalance.  It can also be caused by cutting back too much on your carb intake.  If you find yourself craving salty foods for no apparent reason, try drinking plenty of water and make sure that you are eating carbs with each of your meals.  Choose recipes with interesting spices and herbs to satisfy your craving for savory foods.  Add salted nuts to your diet.  Nuts make great snacks, taste great on salads, and work well in stir-frys.  Remember to pay attention to serving sizes which is usually around 1/4 cup or 16-18 nuts.  A small handful of nuts can go a long way.
    • Sugar cravings.  Research shows that a person can become physically addicted to sugar which means the more you eat, the more you want.  If you find yourself craving sugar often try grabbing a piece of fruit instead.  Deprivation can lead to binging so if sweets are one of your favorites it’s a good idea to incorporate them into your diet in moderation.  When you do decide to have a sweet treat avoid the artificially sweetened diet foods which can cause more intense cravings. Instead, eat small amounts of the real deal instead.  You are better off enjoying a piece of pie made from scratch or a 1/2 cup of real ice cream than you are eating  most processed desserts.
    • The late night snack.  Late night snacking can be triggered by a number of different things.  You may be over tired, justifiably hungry, or simply bored.  A lack of sleep can affect hunger controlling hormones so if you know you’ve been sleep-deprived, focus on getting at least 7.5  hours of sleep per night.  If you notice hunger pains in the evening and it’s been several hours since you’ve had dinner, you are probably hungry.  Eat a light snack that won’t interrupt your sleep.  If you’ve just eaten and you know you’ve been getting enough sleep you may be bored.  Try redirecting your attention to an activity unrelated to food.  Things like reading, stretching, organizing, folding laundry, or playing with a pet are all great ways to keep your hands busy doing something other than snacking.
    • When you’ve had a rough day.  There’s a valid reason you turn to Mom’s chocolate cake when you need a little pick me up on a bad day.  Eating “comfort foods” gives you a boost of serotonin and dopamine, which are feel-good transmitters that act like anti-depressants.  While it’s true that elevating your serotonin levels helps fight depression, turning to the sweets to elevate your serotonin levels may not be the best choice. You may feel great for a moment after eating a large piece of cake. However, when your blood sugar drops, you can go right back into the dumps and may experience guilt for sabotaging your weight loss goals.  Try experimenting with the lighter versions of comfort foods like a whole grain macaroni and cheese or berries with a small piece of dark chocolate on the side.  Or, turn to alternative sources of pleasure like taking a walk with your dog, enjoying a hot bath, or sipping on a glass of wine.

We all have food cravings from time to time. It’s knowing how to deal with them that will make or break our weight loss and/or management goals!

To your health and success!

Shared with love,
Jennifer Ledford

Eleven Ways To Live Well And Age Gracefully

Happy Birthday - Jennifer Ledford - Age Gracefully

It’s my birthday!  I turn forty six years old today.  I have to say it’s almost surreal to me.  I often forget that I’m in my mid-forties because I still feel thirty on the inside.  While I may not feel like I’m in my forties, my age has allowed me to obtain a healthy amount of experience and knowledge.  And for that I am extremely grateful!

I actually like birthdays and embrace mine with open arms.  I’m not someone that has ever had the desire to resist growing up.  I’ve always wanted to be mature in my mind and young at heart.  To me, that’s the best of both worlds.

How To Live  Well and Age Gracefully

Over the past forty six years I’ve had the opportunity to learn quite a few things about life, fitness, health, and aging and since it’s my birthday I wanted to share some of them with you.

  • Don’t sweat the small stuff.  I’m sure you’ve read this more than once.  The part I purposely left out of the famous phrase is “and it’s all small stuff.”  I left it out because sometimes the problem is not small at all.  It’s important not to get worked up over small things that can either be ignored or solved easily.  Limiting stress in your life is one of the top things you can do for your health.  When you limit getting stressed over the minor issues, you’ll have way more strength to deal with the larger ones.
  • Love yourself.  Some people confuse this with pride and are uncomfortable with the thought of loving themselves.  Loving yourself means you respect yourself and believe you deserve the best possible outcomes in life.  One of the first steps to loving yourself is to avoid negative self talk and to reject anything negative spoken over your life by another person.
  • Discover who you are and be authentically you.  This is huge!  There is only one you.  Learn what’s important to you and pursue goals that you desire to fulfill.  Sometimes that’s not always the “safe path” that a parent or counselor is suggesting you follow.  It may include some calculated risks.  Avoid the temptation to copy someone else’s life and go out and create your own legacy.
  • Share your gifts.  We are all designed with unique talents and gifts.  I once heard a wise woman say that she believed that one of the reasons our world has so many problems is because not everyone discovers and shares their gifts.  When we hide our talents the world misses out and so does the individual that possesses the gift.
  • It’s okay to say no.  Maintaining boundaries is one of the most important things we can do for our physical, emotional, and mental health.  It also helps us reserve our strength and energy for the people in our lives that are counting on us.
  • Forgive freely.  Forgiving yourself and others helps contribute to a healthy mind and body.  Research has linked unforgiveness to serious illness which makes forgiveness a really important part of your life.  I realize it can be tough to forgive at times, especially when the other person doesn’t seem to deserve it.  If you are having a tough time forgiving someone else, remind yourself that it’s for your own personal well-being to forgive the offense. Eventually your emotions will catch up to your decision to forgive.  I’m a spiritual person so whenever I am struggling with forgiving someone or even myself, I ask God to heal my heart and help me forgive.
  • Eat well.  We all need to eat so we might as well eat food that will help keep us healthy and vibrant-looking.  Focus on eating whole foods and limit processed foods.  Avoid things like high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils.  Make sure that you recognize everything on a food label’s ingredient list.  Learn to make healthy meals that you enjoy.  Take time out to feast with your family and friends.  Eat out at interesting restaurants that serve fresh ingredients.  Focus on eating for health rather than dieting.  Life is too short to spend it restricting yourself, counting calories, or feeling guilty about food.
  • Exercise.  It’s recommended that we all get an average of thirty minutes of exercise per day for health purposes.  Exercise at your own personal fitness level and choose things that are fun.  Exercise outdoors when possible for added stress reduction.
  • Drink plenty of water.  This one is easy!  Staying hydrated not only helps your metabolism function well it can help your skin maintain a more youthful appearance.
  • Have fun.  It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine so do it often.  Schedule fun into your week.  Be present wherever your feet are planted and look for the hidden blessings that are around you each and every day.  If you are struggling to find joy in your day it may be time for a change.  Maybe it’s time to find a new job, get some new friends, or try a new exercise routine, etc.
  • Keep growing.  I have the opportunity to work with people that are retired and the people that are thriving the most have not stopped growing.  Some of them went back to work part time while others are doing things like volunteering in their community, studying a language, traveling, exercising, taking cooking lessons. They are involved in politics, helping make documentary films, writing memoirs, and more.  In order to keep your mind sharp, you MUST use it.  It’s also important that you socialize and stay engaged.  It may sound appealing to retire and sit back right now when your schedule is not jam packed but too much “retirement” can have a negative effect on your mind and body.  It’s okay to take a year off from the rat race.  However, it’s a good idea to use some of that time to plan what you’d like to do next in your life.

Time is precious.  Spend it on the things that are most important to you and with the people that matter most to you.  Give yourself grace and avoid comparing yourself to others.  Life is about being your own personal best and that’s different for everyone!

Here’s to birthdays and a super blessed week!

With Love,
Jennifer