Since it’s still Christmas weekend, and there’s still leftover pound cake and candy everywhere, we’ll hold off on the usual after holiday look at getting healthy for the new year a couple more days.

I’d like to use this post today to shift the focus of the blog to looking back, and looking forward. It’s the end of the year, and the end of the decade. Think of everything that happened this year, and in the last ten years. The good, the bad, and the “holy shit” ugly.

Tomorrow is a new day, and next week, well, it’s a new week, a new year, a new decade… a new beginning.

First we’ll look back…

It’s been a long while (again) since I’ve blogged…

insert a lame excuse here.

With that out of the way, I want to take a look at some ways at bettering your life, while doing the same for someone else. I recently joined a group called Soldiers’ Angels. This is a group of people all around the country that “Adopt” soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen deployed overseas in combat situations. They send weekly letters, in addition to care packages. The packages are simple: letter writing gear, laundry soap, hygiene gear, and so on. These letters and packages make a huge difference to those deployed. For example, here’s a letter from one of the soldiers deployed in Afghanistan:

 

A couple of weeks ago, I was at [a combat outpost] in [am Afghanistan Province].  Those Soldiers have been there for seven months and live in the most dire conditions. They do not have running water, fresh vegetables are rare, their gym is home-made and triples up as a sleeping area and dining hall. An old roommate of mine had not showered for 2.5 months when I saw him. The only bit of luxury at that COP has the Soldiers' Angels logo on it. The care packages you send are the only deviation from the Meals-Ready-to-Eat and one hot meal a day they get... and everyone there was so appreciative of it. All the care packages your team sends to us are forwarded to the field for my guys. Even if you may not hear back, please know you are making their day go by that much easier. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.

Very simple acts of kindness make a huge difference to these soldiers, and to the people providing the help. I’ve mentioned may ways of helping servicemen and women after they return, but this is a way that you can help them while deployed. Check out Soldiers’ Angels, it’ll be worth the visit!

I’m going to start a series on healthy junk food. Really! You know I’m a big fan of Men’s Health, they do a ton of research and really put a lot into making fitness and healthy decisions easy to understand and live with. Their Abs Diet program includes books, a website, emails and tons of info on healthy eating and exercise. The “Eat this, not that” series gives you the good, bad, and ugly options of choosing what to eat in almost any situation, from the ballpark to your couch, or at any fast food or sit down restaurant in existence. Here’s a look at the latest info they are sharing about good and bad choices when it comes to burgers:

The burger industry in America is looking more and more like an arms race these days. Every few months, we watch in horror as another bacon-enhanced, cheese-embalmed, ranch-riddled weapon of mass inflation hits menu boards at the country's largest restaurant chains.

Each year Americans eat about 40 billion burgers, which means that each of us downs nearly 150 of them. Choose better burgers, and you can save 10 or 15 pounds over the course of a year.

To get you started on your own burger war, we've compiled a list of the seven greasiest patties ever to be sandwiched between two buns. But because we understand you still need your burger fix, we've thrown in five of our favorites that you can eat with relative impunity.

Here’s the list of good burger choices:

Burger Hall of Fame

With knowledge and discipline, you can eat all of your favorite foods-without ever being on a diet-and still lose weight! Here are five of the best burgers you can order.
DQ Original Burger
350 calories
14 g fat (7 g saturated)
680 mg sodium

Wendy's Quarter-Pound Single
430 calories
20 g fat (7 g saturated)
870 mg sodium

Burger King Whopper Jr. w/o mayo
370 calories
21 g fat (6 g saturated)
570 mg sodium

McDonald's Quarter Pounder
410 calories
19 g fat (7 g saturated)
730 mg sodium

In-N-Out Protein-Style Protein-Style Cheeseburger
330 calories
25 g fat (9 g saturated)
720 mg sodium

 

Now, for the bad choices that will just down right make you ugly:

 

Worst Burger: Chili's

Smokehouse Bacon Triple-The-Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
2,040 calories
150 g fat (53 g saturated)
110 g protein
4,900 mg sodium

 

Worst Burger: Dairy Queen

½ lb. FlameThrower GrillBurger
1,140 calories
82 g fat (27 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
1,940 mg sodium

To read the entire article, visit their site here. Great info.. and you can sign up for emails or follow “Eat this, not that” on twitter!!!

I have talked before about how keeping healthy food in your home can make it much easier to make healthy choices when you eat at home. In this post we’ll look at some things that you can do to keep healthy choices close at hand.

The first big choice that you can make is in your beverages. Most of us have a refrigerator full of sodas, beer, and other not-so-good for you beverages. The biggest thing missing from the beverages in our fridge is the most simple: water. I have found that by keeping a gallon of water and a gallon of 2% milk in my fridge (and using a little restraint when I want something to drink) I have all but cut out sugary beverages from my diet. I will have about 2 12oz cans of Sprite a week at work, but that’s it for my soda intake. As for juices, a glass or Simply Orange or Simply apple once a day at most.

Click here for 9 great reasons to drink water, and how to form the water habit!!

Another choice you can make is in your lunchmeats and cheeses. Buying deli meats and cheeses (the kind they slice for you right there) tend to have far less sodium and preservatives than the pre packaged lunchmeats do. Also, when you compare serving size and quality, you aren’t really paying much more for the better meats and cheeses.

 

This is just a start, we’ll look at some more healthy choices for home soon!

I am going to start featuring a series or post in the top section of the blog. You can read the featured post or series by clicking on the read more link at the bottom of the preview. I will continue to write other new posts that will appear right below the featured story!

We hear this a lot in these times, usually talking about those we have lost in combat. The phrase is meant to keep the memory alive for those who gave their lives to spare those of others. But there are many more people who need to not be forgotten. Living people, who need help. People who are now dealing with one of the most difficult things that they will ever face... readjustment to civilian life.

In November 1994, Public Law 103-446 established the Center for Women Veterans in the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Office of the Secretary. The primary mission of the Center for Women Veterans is to review VA programs and services for women veterans, and assure that women veterans receive benefits and services on a par with male veterans, encounter no discrimination in their attempt to access them, and are treated with the respect, dignity, and understanding by VA service providers.

Women make up 15 percent of today’s armed forces. Almost 200,000 women have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, with tens of thousands deployed or stationed elsewhere around the globe. Women are the second fastest growing population of veterans, but the nation has provided few tangible services for them. Many women veterans receive inferior treatment at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or are marginalized by veterans service organizations.

We're going to swing back to one of my first topics for a moment. I recently read an article that talks of a long term study of military personnel that started just before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The data shows that combat exposure tripled the likelihood of PTSD in members of the Army and Air Force, and doubled the likelihood in Marines.

Let’s take a quick look at PTSD:

WHAT DEFINES PTSD?

There are two specific factors that must happen for a diagnosis of PTSD to be reached. First is having been in an extremely stressful situation, and secondly, having reacted to it with an intense emotional reaction. An "extremely stressful situation" is considered to be the likes of being in Auschwitz, Vietnam, Iraq, being raped, surviving a plane crash, being at ground zero on 9/11, and so on. The American Psychiatric Association classifies "Reacting with an intense emotional reaction" as fear, helplessness, or horror.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF PTSD?

There are three different clusters of symptoms that characterize PTSD.

• Intrusive recollections
• Avoidant numbing symptoms
• Arousal Symptoms

We’ll talk more about these three symptoms in a future post.

With the large number of service men and women returning to civilian life, it is very likely that you may encounter someone suffering from PTSD in your everyday life. Also, employers must be ready for the reintegration of these men and women back into the workforce. This new data shows that there is an increased strain on the mental health of returning service men and women, and often times the military is unable to provide proper medicine, counseling, or even simple self awareness for the issue.

It is very important that we do everything we can to help our fighting men and women successfully return to civilian life. In the next couple of posts I'll be discussing some new initiatives for service men and women returning from combat.

I haven't sat down to write a blog in a while! Guess it's time to get back at it.

I originally started this blog on ChaCha's now defunct blog site as a healthy living blog, which had to be written to certain guidelines and containing certain phrases. Now that I have the liberty to talk about a little more, I plan on sharing a little more insight and some good ol' opinions.

Today I'd like to share something that I've been watching on Twitter. Ya' see, Trent Reznor of NIN has taken up a pretty worthy cause and brought it to his fans. Here's the story:

Eric De La Cruz resides in Nevada and is in dire need of a heart transplant. He is dying. His sister, Veronica, is doing all she can to help her brother. However, she is caught in the red-tape system in Nevada. He needs Medicare Disability. Eric has been turned down for a heart transplant list because he is on Nevada Medicaid, and there are no transplant centers in Nevada. He needs to go to California under the Medicare Disability program. He has been rejected twice and the next appeals hearing is one year from today. We cannot wait one year!

Eric has Severe Dilated Cardiomyopathy with an EF of 15%. His kidneys are having trouble because of his heart. His creatinine levels are high, his blood pressure is very low and he keeps retaining fluid. The diuretric-type meds the doctors have him on are no longer working...

Pretty big deal, huh. So here's what the gents of NIN decided to do: If you donate $1,000 to $1,200 to Eric thru NIN's website, you get a kick butt VIP package to any of their shows in the U.S., including dinner with the band, attending the sound check, and more.

Well, the fans stepped up and in the first day raised over $500,000 for Eric. Within a week they were over $800,000. Due to the response, they ran out of room for the VIP concerts. Now, Tony Hawk is helping out and they are offering limited packages of signed Tony Hawk skateboards, and hand numbered and signed rare NIN releases.

So, here's the deal. I don't have the money to help out, but I'm doing everything I can to get the word out. Eric needs a heart, so let's show him how much heart we have!

You can check out the website here, or follow @trent_reznor, or #eric on twitter, or at tweet4eric.com

Also, here's the link to the NIN store where you can get in on these great packages!!!


Watch this video about Eric:

Well, it's been over a month... and I'm pretty dang impressed. As I mentioned before, I decided to use the Men's Health Personal Trainer online service to kick my diet into gear. This program gives me daily workouts, as well as meal plans each day that do all the work for me.

The result? I started at 226 lbs, and this morning I weighed in at 209 lbs. That's 17 pounds lost in a month. Not bad at all! Plus, I have noticed a big change in my energy, and I'm starting to look dang good!

I'm going to continue on the program and will keep updating. I wanted to share a few things about the program that Men's Health online offers. First off, for the price (about $2.50 a week, and your first month is free) I think it is well worth the investment. There's no excuse for not being able to come up with a couple bucks a week for better health.

I will say that the system has limits and some flaws, and some bugs that they are working out. The shopping list is hard to understand, and can be overwhelming, and the work out plans can have glitches while switching between phases. The good thing is that customer support is very helpful, and there are many forums to discuss questions with coaches and other participants.

My suggestion, do it. You have to make some concessions... I have completely cut soda and coffee out of my diet (no caffeine at all)... but you do get a day off each week to eat what you want. The exercises are not at all overwhelming, and even someone new to the gym or working out at home will do well!

Turn on your TV and you'll be bombarded with commercials for weight loss pills, fad diets, and every guru with a hip hop exercise program that promises rapid weight loss. You spam mail box is full of ads for diet programs, and wonder pills for every condition. Wanna know a secret? People in the old days weren't obese like we are today, people throughout history haven't had the problems with heart disease that we do today, and they didn't have wonder pills, hip hop abs, or the Atkins Diet. What they did have was exercise, better nutrition, and a lack of fast food and video games.

Coincidence?

Nope.

Today I want to debunk some claims from some of the most popular fad diets, and explain why they don't work.

Let's start with one that was huge for quite a few years, the Atkins Diet.

Here's the gist of how it works:

The Atkins System was the pioneer of Low Carb Diets. A low carb diet is a dietary program that restrict carbohydrate consumption primarily for weight control. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins and fats.

The Good.

The basis of the system is fundamentally good. It teaches you to recognize what foods contain high carbs, and some alternatives to them that can be supplemented into the diet.

The Bad.

The original program reduced or removed carbs from a persons diet too drastically. People would see rapid weigh loss, but their bodies would suffer greatly because many of the foods they removed from their diet also contained other essential nutrients that were not replaced. Also, the program didn't initially include any type of exercise plan, and since people saw the huge initial weight loss, they didn't feel the need to exercise.

The Ugly.

In some cases, there were life threatening complications that resulted from the Atkins Diet. The high protein diet can put the bodies systems out of whack.

To be noted:

The Adkins group has done an overhaul of their program, from including vitamins and monitoring your urine for abnormalities, to adding lifestyle changes and exercise programs to their website. I applaud them for making changes when they saw the challenges that their program was creating. While it's still not a program that I think is healthy for a person, I do believe that it can be a part of helping to create a healthy lifestyle. As always, talk with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise routine.

In this blog we will talk about the original "Alternative Medicine", Vitamins.

This is my third installment on keeping your sanity during a job loss. There are a lot of great sites out there popping up to help people after a job loss, and I'll share some of them at the bottom of this post. The last thing that I want to focus on is the mental health side of a job loss.

A job loss can be extremely stressful, especially around and after the holidays. Tension over expenses can cause arguments, and you'll have adjust your lifestyle to accommodate for the loss of some or all of your families income. The emotional side of the stress often leads to physical effects such as sleep loss and anxiety.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. Unfortunately, there were over a million people who lost their jobs in November and December of 2008. Governments are offering several forms of counseling for stress in addition to standard unemployment insurance benefits. There are websites and talk shows focusing on these issues right now. Keep your head up, and ears open.

There is hope. I have a good friend that lost his job in the middle of December, and ended up with a job offer before Christmas. He sent out hundreds of resumes and applied to at least ten jobs a day, and was able to find a company hiring even in this tough economy. It's possible, but you have to be on your game and stand out from the pack... and it all starts with keeping your sanity!



Some links:

Coping with a job loss

AARP Job Loss Assistance

Thriving during a job loss

Librarians Internet Index Job Loss Help

Here's some more about surviving a job loss:

Last time we looked at some ways that you can prepare yourself for a job loss. With times as hard as they are, and unemployment on the rise, it's not a bad idea for everyone to be prepared just in case.

But what happens if you really do get laid off? What next?

When it happens, right at that moment, keep this in mind:

Keep Your Cool!

As much as you might want to get mad, or vent on the person giving you your notice, don't. Chances are, you will need to use this company as a reference for your next job. Be as cordial as possible, and if you can't, just don't say anything.

After it happens:

Don't Sweat it:

Sure, it sucks. But if you step in to action right away it will help keep your mental state on the right track. Start by doing a few key things right away:

• Make some calls, let people know what happened. Don't be ashamed, there are a lot of people getting laid off right now. The more people you tell, the better chance you have of netorking a new job.
• Update your resume. Sit down and update your resume to make it current, then start looking to sites like Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com that you can post your resume on and start looking for new jobs.
• Keep active in the search. A huge site for jobs almost anywhere now is craigslist.org. Click on your city or the nearest to you, and you can search jobs in your area. This site has helped more people find jobs than all other job sites combined!

The biggest thing is to keep looking, all day. Be sure to file for unemployment if it's available to you. Most states have a waiting period of a week or so, so you want to get the ball rolling. Check my last post on how to find your states unemployment information. Keep your head up. There are a lot of jobs out there, you just need to stand out and apply. It may take a hundred tries or more, and you might get shot down a lot, but don't give up!

Preparing for the possibility:

• Examine the health of your company.

Start taking a good look at how your company is operating, and it's overall "health". This will give you an idea of how likely a lay off might be.

• Get your finances in order.

Dealing with a job loss will be a lot less stressful if you have a solid budget in place and know where your money is going.

• Have an emergency fund.

Once you have a budget, adjust it to start saving some money to set aside. The general rule is that you want at least enough savings to get you through 4-6 months without income, but any amount will help.

• Know your options.

Here are some helpful links to keep at hand:

Forbes take on negotiating a severance package

State unemployment rules

The lay off survival guide

These are just a few steps to take before the lay off happens, next we'll take a look at what to do after you get laid off.

Yesterday I was in the gas station and was amazed by the case after case of energy drinks that stood in front of me. It appears that the industry that Red Bull started has turned into something pretty big.

So, continuing with my bit on healthy choices in beverages, I decided to take a look at energy drinks.

Now, I'll start off by saying this:


Energy drinks are not good for you. Period.

With that said, and as I look over at the energy drink sitting on my desk, I realize that we all know that. And, we all keep drinking them.

Today I'd like to take a look at the lesser of the evils out there when it comes to these drinks, and how to make healthier choices while staring at that wall of energy drinks in front of you.

If you are a Red Bull fan:

They do make a Sugar Free version that is, well, sugar free. The problem that I see with that is that they just substitute chemical sweeteners such as aspartame, a chemical that has been linked to several health issues, including brain tumors and lymphoma.

If you like the coffee version of the energy drinks:

Monster offers a low cal version of their extensive coffee line called "Lo Ball". It also has half of the caffeine of the regular versions, as well as fewer carbs. (this is my personal choice when I reach for an energy drink. Remember, I don't endorse drinking any energy drinks, but I fall prey to them from time to time.)

Rock Star has a "better for you" version vanilla coffee drink, called Roasted Light Vanilla. It has half the fat and calories of the regular Roasted.


Some healthier options:

SoBe makes a line of energy drinks called "Essential Energy". They are a much better choice since they use more natural ingredients combined with fruit juices. Just watch the sugar content in some of them.

There is also a product out there made by Eniva called "Vibe 2.0" that I have heard great things about. I haven't personally tried it, but the company claims that their drink uses vitamins and supplements to give you a healthier energy boost.

So, there you go. with all of the options out there... you may actually have a chance to make a healthier choice from that evil wall of well marketed energy pushers.

Watch this video about energy drinks:

So here's a shopping list of things that you should have in your home:

  Peanut Butter                               

  Dairy
Again, here's one that you hear about being a big no no. Dairy really is an important part of your diet, as there are nutrients in dairy products that actually help your body break down fat. The key is to get the fat free or low-fat versions, and stick with the vanilla yogurts.

And the RestAlmonds, beans, spinach, Instant Oat Meal, Eggs, Sliced Turkey, Olive Oil, Whole Grain Breads and Cereals, Extra Protein (Whey) Powders, Fresh Raspberries, Canned Tuna, Chicken Breast, Fruit, Green Veggies, Lean Fish, Lean Ground Beef, Long-grain Rice, and Whole Wheat Pasta.

So there's a start. Now, I don't expect you to throw out everything you have in your cupboards and run out and buy everything on this list. Just look it over, and next time you shop, substitute a healthy choice for something that you usually get. Get the fat free milk instead of the whole milk, and so on. Every little step matters on the path to healthier living. You'll not only feel better physically, your mental health will improve from the positive changes in your life!

As I was sitting on the couch this morning with my Rottweiler on my lap watching CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, I realized two things.



First, I realized that I have a hundred and twenty pound lap dog.



Second, I realized the importance of balance in my life.



You see, I love CBS Sunday Morning. I have for years... I'm not really sure if it was my Grandparents or my parents that I watched it with as a kid, but I know that my parents still watch it to this day. The reason I love the show is that it's the only news program during the week that's presented with a smile. Charles Osgood has the voice and charisma that brings a calm peace to the news. Also, the "real" news (I use that term very loosely) about world affairs and top stories is limited to a brief 60 seconds of the 90 minute program. After that, you learn about everything from the anniversary of the Charles Manson Family conviction to Bill Geist visiting a salt and pepper museum. You get commentary from people like Ben Stein who actually share an opinion, think it through, and remind you that it's just an opinion.



For me, sitting on Sunday morning with my dog on my lap and watching the lighter side of the world is really important. My schedule over the last year hasn't allowed me to watch the show, but now I have weekends off and am again enjoying a smile on Sunday morning.



For me, it brings balance to my life. It helps level out the hectic side of work, and the negative that you deal with in daily life. Over my next few posts we'll take a look at some ways that you can bring balance back in to your life, and hopefully bring a smile to your day!









Read more of my ChaCha blogs here!

This is the new home of my Healthy Living blog. I will be transferring my old posts from my ChaCha Health blog to this page. ChaCha is shutting down its blog, so I will keep running here!

Stay tuned!!! And don't forget to add my RSS feed!