Day #2 – Oprah’s Living Your Best Life w/ Dr. Oz

 

Hey Folks!

Tonight is a great tv night for the fitness enthusiasts…or for those just trying to get on the health bandwagon. SIDEBAR: I applaud any of you who realize that you are the most important person in your life and it is time to focus on your health. If you don’t take care of yourself, you cannot take care of any of the other important people in your life. 

Right now, I’m watching Dr. Oz on Oprah. I love Dr. Oz, by the way….and you all know how I feel about Oprah. She is a friend in my head. I think out of all the important issues she will discuss with her audience this week, this show is the most important. It is more about creating a “health checklist” in an effort to help you create your healthy best. It is for all of us who have taken our health for granted and for all of us who just need a reminder or kick in the right direction. 

You should visit her site. Oprah.com – Live Your Best Life  But for those of you who don’t have time and want to know what was discussed, well…read below. 

THE ULTIMATE HEALTH CHECKLIST

1. Schedule a check-up. Find the right doctor for you. Check out my post titled Picture of Great Health. I scheduled my appointments in Dec/Jan. 
2. Know the 5 ingredients to avoid. (High fructose corn syrup, sugar, “enriched”, trans fats, saturated fats) These things cannot be the first things you read on the food nutritional label. If there is one thing I wish all of you would do – learn to read food labels & pay attention to them when you are food shopping. I guarantee you that you will look at food differently & how you feed yourself and your family if you understood the labels. Interesting tip: it is not enough that food is labeled as not having trans fats, be sure that your food does not have hydrogenated oil. Baking products are good for this crap. 
3. Add healthy food to your diets. (5-7 servings of food with antioxidants, 3g omega 3, 25g fiber, 1 tbl of olive oil) My personal choice, natural foods that come from the ground. Buy food that don’t have labels – fruits & veges. Chicken & Fish…all good stuff. Stay away from processed food. But if you cannot always have fresh food, just add healthy food to your diet.
4. Take a multivitamin. More details on Oprah’s website. Good stuff. Take time to read it. Biggest difference between men & women – the amount of Vitamin A and iron.
5. Know your numbers!!!! Waist size …Measure at your belly button, very slightly above. Mine is 32. Your pant size is not your waist size, OK!!! Men should be less than 40 inches, Women less than 35 inches. Blood Pressure… 115/75 is ideal. Top numbers should be less than 140, bottom number should be less than 90. Mine is 120/84.  Cholesterol…LDL less than 100, HDL greater than 40. Resting Heart Rate…check your pulse, how many beats per minute. If it is over 83, your heart doesn’t have the reserve it once did. Athletes have heart rates in 40s and 50s. Get close to 60. That is about average. Blood Sugar…please have that checked. 
6. Find a health advocate!! Get someone you trust and make them your partner. Someone who will pay attention, fight for you, someone who will listen. Not always a spouse. 
7. Organize your health information! Get an updated copy of your medical file. You have a right to your information.
8. Know the medical tests you should have. Women, get your bone density tested & mammograms should start between the ages 35-40. Men, get your DIGITAL (finger) rectal exams. Check the website for a host of others.
9. EXERCISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Start walking. I walk 9 NYC blocks to work each day & back. A brisk walk to work will take me about 10-12 minutes. I could take the train and it could put me right across the street from my job. But why? I walk. You want your heart rate up 60 minutes each week – sweat. Stretch about 5 min a day. Resistance training 30 minutes a week. Small changes made every day will change your life. Remember, Rome was not built in a day.
10. Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. I need to work on that. If you don’t get sleep, you will crave other things like carbs. You know what that means. Get up & go to bed at the same time every day no matter what. Keep your bedroom dark & cool. Bedroom is for sleep & sex only – LOL! No caffeine 4 hours before you sleep. Turn off your tv. I have to commit to that change. I really do like tv…reality fitness shows and the news shows are my guilty pleasures. 

Well, that is it folks. Be sure to check out O’s website…and sign up for the free webcast if you have time!

Oprah.com – Live Your Best Life

More fun tv tonight!

Biggest Loser Weight Loss TV Show, Pictures, Photos, Video & Episodes Online …, Discovery Health National Body Challenge National Body Challenge : Discovery Health…it’s 8pm now. I have to go watch, and post! Stay tuned…

ME FUI

~ by katt88 on January 6, 2009.