Reflecting Back…

As 2011 winds its way down to the last few hours, I take this time to reflect back on what, for me, was a very fulfilling year in many ways.  A perfect year?  Not by a long shot, but one loaded with enough action and accomplishments to fill a…well, a blog post.

This is a necessary, and important, exercise to do, by the way.  Most of us, if you are like me, don’t take the time to look back and bask in our accomplishments.  As a constantly driven person, someone who is always looking for the next big opportunity (I get bored easily) and challenge, I tend to push myself to the point, at times, of exhaustion.  Taking a few moments (hopefully a few days) to go back and put a few asterisks next to your completed “to-do” list is an excellent way to end the year.

Before I twist my arm out of socket from so much back-patting, I must add that this post on reflection will be followed by a post on looking ahead: embracing another arduous list of things I’d like to accomplish in 2012.

2011 was a year of travel—personal and business. I was fortunate enough to have visited several new cities this year (Dublin), as well as returning to some of my favorites (Maui).  All in all, I logged over 30,000 air miles—wow, that’s a lot of recycled air, stale pretzels, and cramped leg space!

I traversed across this great country six times!  Over two Oceans!  With stops along the way at:

·         Las Vegas

·         Tampa

·         Phoenix

·         Boston

·         Newport, Rhode Island

·         Narragansett, Rhode Island

·         NYC!

·         Maui

·         Dublin

·         Letterkenny

·         Atlanta

·         Sacramento

·         Reno

I began the year not knowing my future with my current “day job,” and am ending this year with the hope of soon getting my second promotion.  It has been a very rewarding year career-wise—a good thing!

I am blessed to work at a job where I get to interact with and lead and mentor dozens of people each day.  I have creative freedom to use my triad of balance-mind, body, and spirit.

I was able to get my website back up and running (and looking better than ever) after over a year of idleness!  Besides this blog, I also started another called “Mike’sDaily…”

The hits from my YouTube Page, Facebook, Twitter, my blogs and website have resulted in millions of visitors this year.  Thanks to all for the continued and tremendous support!

I published my second book (my first is a young adult novel) this year and while the sales have not gone through the roof, they have been steady.

http://www.livelife365.com/Mike_s_Books.html

I produced another round of interesting and entertaining videos, along with another music video:

Along the way I’ve continued to cultivate a wonderful and solid relationship with my wife of almost twenty years, a son that just turned thirty (man, I’m/he’s OLD!), and my family and friends near by and Back East.

But mostly, I was able to help countless people change their lives for the better, lose weight and eat healthier, become motivated and inspired, and, hopefully, gave a few a good laughs along the way.

Reflecting back on 2011, it has been a pretty good year.  And while it has not all been roses and sunshine, it has been worth looking back on and taking a few moments to enjoy…and give myself a few pats on the back.

You should do the same.

Until next time…

peace,

Mike

 

Drink Green Tea Every Day!

Aloha and Drink!

Green tea, that is!

I have been a green tea advocate for years, ever since I gave up my once addicting and overwhelming Diet coke habit. Searching for a healthier alternative, I discovered green tea and have enjoyed its wonderful taste and amazing health benefits ever since.

Why should you drink green tea every day?

It is loaded with antioxidants, can help reduce the threat of cancer, lowers cholesterol, assists in weight loss, and even fights tooth decay.  Cool, huh?

But do you know what's really cool?  Turning a successful green tea video (search YouTube for "green tea" and my vid comes up tops out of 45,000) into a cool music video.  Please watch and enjoy my newest music video:


DRINK GREEN TEA EVERY DAY (MUSIC VIDEO)

Livelife365 is all about eating healthy, losing weight, and motivating yourself to do all that it takes to change your life for the better.  All done in a fun and entertaining way.  I hope the above videos continue that message and help you become the person you strive to be.

More cool stuff:

Please visit my new daily blog called: Mike's Daily...Thoughts, Pics, Vids...and more...

And recently livelife365 was voted one of the top fifty health blogs in the world by healthyhideout.  Cool!

Lastly, I have a new self-help book for sale.  Please check it out and tell anyone you know that is looking to change their lives for the better.  I'll even toss in 30 of my top videos and 5 original songs.  All for only $24.99. Oops, guess again.  Special Sale Price now only $19.00.  Or you can get just the book for only $14.99!  Sweet deal, huh?  Check it out and let me know your thoughts...

Until next time...

peace,

Mike

livelife365

Stop Eating Your Angst

What is angst and why would anyone want to eat it?

Dictionary.com defines angst this way:

angst:

Spelled[engk-stuh]   

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

Per Merriam-Webster:

angst: a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity

For me, angst is an emotion, a feeling; and not a very pleasant one.  But one that we all encounter every now and then, and have to deal with.

How do you deal with your angst?

One way far too many people deal with anxiety, anguish, apprehension and insecurity is through emotional eating.

What is emotional eating?

It is using something as basic and necessary—like ingesting food for survival—as a crutch to combat angst, all of those sometimes everyday emotions we must learn to deal with in a healthy way.

Why not just ignore your angst?

That’s part of the problem—angst, or any adversity, when ignored still festers inside us all.  In fact, pretending that what’s bugging you is not really bugging you may lead to having that anxiety present itself in an unhealthy way—like through an indulgence with food when you are not hungry.

Without eating we do not live—that’s as basic as breathing, sleeping, and drinking water.  And there’s nothing wrong with using food to celebrate a success, a birthday, anniversary, or any number of wonderful reasons to take your family, friends, and loved ones out for a night of wining and dining.  We all do it; in fact, it is quite healthy to do.

But eating as a celebration should be done only occasionally.  Eating to hide or ignore emotional adversity done oft times daily is another story.

Emotional eating, or eating ones angst, is not only the wrong approach to what’s ailing you, it may just kill you.

Overeating, which leads to being overweight and obesity, is the leading cause of death in the world.  Being overweight leads to:

·        Heart desease

·        Diabetes

·        Cancer

·        Degenerative joint disease

·        Gastrointestinal distress

·        Depression

·        Death

What can you do?

We all have our share of angst, of distress and anxiety from time to time.  The best way to deal with it is to embrace it, acknowledge it, understand it, and then take action.

If the first thing you reach for when you feel angst whispering in your ear is a candy bar, slap that thought out of your head and replace it with:

·        A stick of sugarless gum

·        A handful of healthy almonds, pistachios, walnuts, or peanuts

·        A sugar free hard candy

·        A toothpick

·        A piece of fruit

·        A book

·        A jump rope

Replacing a bad habit with a good one—in other words, reaching for a jump rope or taking a walk when I feel anxious, rather than cramming a handful of potato chips into my mouth—has helped me more times than not.

What else can you do to help stop eating your angst?

·        Take a walk

·        Meditate

·        Call a friend

·        Plan a vacation

·        Volunteer

·        See  your doctor

·        Research your health options

·        Rethink your lifestyle

·        Go on a healthy diet

·        Livelife365

Changing your life for the better is something most of want to do—who wouldn’t?  But taking that first step, understanding that you are not alone in your struggle, is challenging.  The first thing you need to do is to realize that when you are upset about something and automatically seek refuge in the refrigerator or cupboard that you must take a moment, suck in a deep breath, and just say no.

Reach for help, a friend, another option, an alternative.

And not eat your angst.  Eat to live, to celebrate occasions and successes, in moderation.

Do all that you can to try to be the person that you know you want to be, that you deserve to be, that you will be.

Livelife365 will always be there to help you on your journey to better health, to balancing your mind, body, and spirit, to living your life to its fullest, every day in every way.

 

Think about it.

Until next time…

peace,

Mike

The Key to Losing Weight

These days, just about everyone needs to drop a few excess pounds; for some, even more than a few. But let’s face it, losing weight is difficult, and keeping it off is sometimes even more of a challenge.Hey, if losing weight and getting into swimsuit shape was easy, we’d all look like models and movie stars. Sadly, this is far from the case.

But there is good news for those of us (yes, me too; I am constantly working on my weight. Even though I am at a very healthy weight right now, I know that if I didn’t work at it I would be overweight and unhealthy very fast) looking to lose weight and keep it off; help is on the way. The key is to COUNT YOUR CALORIES AND MAKE YOUR CALORIES COUNT!

Sounds simple enough, and it is in theory. So then why are six out of ten people overweight? And over 30%, and growing at an alarming rate, considered obese? As I stated earlier, if it was easy to lose weight, we’d all look like Brad and Angelina. But we don’t and it’s not, but there is hope. Read on…

Any successful weight loss program, be it Weight Watchers or Atkins or Slim Fast or South Beach (the list goes on and on, doesn’t it?), has one thing in common: you must burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. There is no getting around this; it is a proven and steadfast fact.

TO LOSE ONE POUND YOU MUST BURN 3500 CALORIES MORE THAN YOU CONSUME!

3500. That is the magic number. In this day and age, people are looking for a magic pill, something to pop in their mouths to make all of their problems, like being overweight, go away. Here’s a scoop for you: THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL!

But there is magic!

* Magic foods! Foods rich in fiber (like fruits, nuts, whole grains, beans, soy, vegetables) are not only extremely healthy for you (most are loaded with antioxidants, tons of vitamins and nutritious minerals that help combat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal maladies, and lots more), but WILL help you lose weight. Why? They remain in your stomach and digestive system longer, helping you to feel full longer, thus keeping you away from snacking and overeating. Fiber also promotes regularity and is a natural colon cleanser.

* Magic numbers, like: 3500. As I previous mentioned, the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you ingest. And the only way to lose a pound is to burn 3500 calories more than you ingest. It’s that easy; the math at least is. The rest is up to you. Here’s a simple suggestion: set daily caloric goals. An example: limit yourself to consuming 2000 calories a day. Then set a goal to burn at least 2500 calories each day. That will give you 500 net calories burned each day. Multiply that 500 x 7 days, and you have 3500. Using this formula you are guaranteed to lose at least one pound per week. Could it really be that easy?

YES!…and no. Because if it were that easy…ah, you know the rest.

But it can be done, and if you put your mind to it, are really motivated and really want to lose weight, as well as being ready to change your life, then it is that simple…you just gotta do it! And I’m here to help.

Let’s go back to my key to losing weight: COUNT YOUR CALORIES AND MAKE YOUR CALORIES COUNT!



The Key to Losing Weight

The first thing you need to do, literally, is to start counting. Everything that goes near your mouth, including: tasting while cooking, finishing a few bites from your kid’s plate, any and all beverages, all snacking and any sneaking. Remember, you want and need to lose weight, right? Then you’re only kidding yourself if you sneak a few bites here or there…right?

Back to the counting. Get yourself a nutritional book that lists content of all food that you think you will ever consume. I like this one: The Complete Book of Food Counts. Also, the Internet has several excellent sites that offer calorie counters for free (I offer several on the links page at my video site, livelife365.com). A few tips: dining out every night will make this task that much more difficult. Why? Because you will have a tough time estimating the caloric content of what’s on your plate at your local diner, thus making it that much more of a challenge to count your calories. My solution: make your own during the workweek, and then, maybe, treat yourself to a nice dinner or two on the weekend. In fact, I encourage you to cut yourself a little break on the weekend, especially if you had a good week of calorie counting and weight loss. Ya gotta live, too, right?

Okay, so you have a goal of 2000 calories per day and you have been counting EVERYTHING that you’ve been consuming. I bet you’re finding it difficult to stay within that 2000 calorie threshold, right? Believe me, I feel your pain. This is where the “make your calories count” part comes into play. It is essential to make each calorie you consume while on a limited caloric diet. Why? Because you need to eat a balanced diet of fruits and veggies, carbs and proteins, fats (yes, fats! The good fats, that is) and dairy. And if you’re limiting yourself to only 2000 calories, those will add up quickly. The key:

COUNT YOUR CALORIES AND MAKE YOUR CALORIES COUNT!

This is why keeping a journal of everything you consume daily is important. Write it down and keep score, making sure that you not only watch how much you’re consuming, but WHAT you are consuming. The sad fact is you could eat a diet of nothing but potato chips, limiting yourself to only 2000 calories, and if you burn over 2500 calories a day, you WILL lose weight. But you won’t be doing it in a healthy way. And why is this a bad thing? Your body will rebel, you will be unhealthy, tired, vitamin, mineral, and nutrient deprived, and eventually breakdown. So, again, the key (for those of you who have not been paying attention):

COUNT YOUR CALORIES AND MAKE YOUR CALORIES COUNT!

When I lost all my weight, I kept a daily journal, listing EVERYTHING I ate. I also loaded up my plate with fiber-rich foods. Here is a typical day:

Apple
Banana
Oatmeal
Soy bar
Almonds
Orange or peach
Soy chips (snack) with hummus
Either almond butter or peanut butter on whole grain bread, or a high fiber and high protein whole grain cereal with soy milk
Baked potato (no butter, just a splash of olive oil)
Mix of veggies: broccoli, soy, beans, carrots, cauliflower, etc.
Large salad (lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, cukes, with some type of bean: garbanzo, kidney, black). Low-cal, no-fat dressing

Believe it or not, all that food rarely exceeded 2000 calories. Notice there is no animal protein on my list, but feel free to add fish or poultry to your list. Just make sure you limit your caloric intake. I choose a vegetarian lifestyle for many reasons, improved health being a major factor, but the lower caloric intake and extra fiber are equally beneficial.

I’m not suggesting you become a vegetarian, I’m just giving you a glimpse of what worked for me. Your list may be far different than mine, and that’s okay, as long as you count your calories and eat a complete, well balanced diet.

Remember, if you are reading this then you are probably interested in discovering new ways of losing weight. My way, my key, worked, and continues to work, for me. I know it will work for you too. But you have to be ready, willing, and committed to doing what it takes to be what you want to be. Hey, what have you got to lose…except all those excess pounds. Good luck, I’m pulling for you.

Until next time…

peace,

Mike

More Fun With Fiber

I love fiber! I have been an advocate of high-fiber diets for years. It was a diet high in fiber that helped me lose 40 pounds in 6 months. In my opinion, fiber is a miracle food, one of the key ingredients to fast and sustained weight loss.

Here is a typical day of eating fiber for me:



Fiber is a serious part of my everyday life. But I have also had a lot of fun with fiber, as you can see in this video:



Making people laugh (or at least attempting to) is as much a passion of mine as healthy living and personal development. By using humor to poke fun at serious topics, my goal is to widen my potential audience, thus reaching more people with my overall message, which is always:

LIVE LIFE EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY

So, with hopes to make you laugh and think, I produced this goofy video:

"Talkin' Fiber" with Bernie Squirts



Eat healthy, laugh daily, work hard, and keep living life 365.

Until next time...

peace,

Mike