First Health Info

Life doesn't promise easy, fair, happiness, or even health. In fact, life is hard and guess what, work is required and never an option. It's up to you to create the lifestyle that you want to live. This isn't going to be found in a jar, pill, powder, or shake. If popping a �fit pill� provided the body of your dreams, I certainly wouldn't be writing a health blog. Sound evidence has supported the best way to achieve a fit body is through a healthy lifestyle. This would include consistent healthy food intake, regular exercise, plenty of rest, water, and balance of life. Sounds like a great plan and very doable. The problem is many of you still aren't willing to put in the work. Nothing tastes better than healthy feels, remember? So, what gives? Great marketing has convinced you there's a quick fix to fitness . This strong belief in false guarantees has taken away your drive and motivation to get fit the right way. False claims only provide false hope, take your mo...

Achieving a lean and healthy body is possible for everyone. Do you believe that? We have the ability to do what it takes to make it happen. It doesn't cost lots of money, require anything special, not even a gym membership. We can reach our fitness goals by choosing a healthy lifestyle. Daily choices determine what your body will look and feel like. Consistency with eating right , exercise, plenty of rest, water and decreased stress will help create the body we want. It starts with our grocery lists and foods we buy to maintain a healthy body. If you're consuming processed foods, lots of sugar, and an abundance of saturated fats, then you will most certainly not reach your fitness goals. Living a sedentary lifestyle absence of exercise also contributes to being unhealthy. We tend to overcomplicate fitness. It really is as simple as food intake and exercise, but many of us refuse to change this basic part of living. As long as we are consistent with healthy habits, we will be h...

Fitness includes so much more than weight loss or achieving a personal best lift at the gym. Being a fit person involves discipline for each day, creates awareness, and instills conscious living. It means being mindful of how you treat your body, how you think, and feel. Fitness is a lifestyle and goes way beyond the physical. Living this way starts in your mind and pushes you to live a quality life. It's not just a desire but daily actions chosen moving you closer to becoming a healthy person. When your focus remains on health, you can truly say you're living a mindful healthy life.    We put so much pressure on ourselves to squeeze into skinny jeans or tank shirts and tend to forget how being fit is supposed to feel. A fit and healthy body should feel good but instead many of us accept and accommodate pain on a daily basis. In this case, the focus isn't on health and often with a temporary goal based on outward appearance. Healthy lifestyles are meant to be enjoyed for a...

The truth about health and fitness is we either want it or we don�t. Let�s face it, many of us come up with reasons not to exercise or eat healthy. We even sound pretty convincing. Unfortunately, all the reasons in the world eventually catch up to us in the form of illness or injury. What we fail to realize is how much our lifestyle impacts our health .The food we eat, how we move and rest our body is truly our medicine. Many of us continue to walk around in an unhealthy body and come to accept this existence. We are missing out on how good we're supposed to feel and look. Our body reflects our lifestyle. True story. I want to believe all of us have a strong desire to be healthy people. Working in the health and fitness industry, I certainly hear this loud and clear. We talk about wanting to feel and look better , but what continues to be lacking is the action required to make this happen. More often than not, healthy living isn't a priority. Living a life of excuses will not c...

Face it, we're all responsible for our health and fitness. I'm not talking about medical illness out of our control, but the everyday individual who has the ability to get healthy. This is the majority of us, right? In this world of comparison, it appears many of us want someone else's body instead of our own. Why is that? It really is a projection of what we want for our own life but not willing to put in the effort. That may have hit hard, but let's get down to the honest truth about our health and lifestyle . You may be tired of hearing 'what's your excuse' but the question is somewhat relevant.   Instead of owning the behaviors creating an unhealthy body, we tend to place blame where it doesn't belong. We blame our spouses, friends, and even media personalities for spouting unrealistic goals. Are they unrealistic or just our way of justifying the state of our health? What it comes down to is no one but you and I can make health happen. It's an in...

Face it, we're all responsible for our health and fitness. I'm not talking about medical illness out of our control, but the everyday individual who has the ability to get healthy. This is the majority of us, right? In this world of comparison, it appears many of us get pissed off at the accomplished fit woman or man at the gym, online, or in a magazine. Why is that? It really is a projection of what we want for our own life but not willing to put in the effort. That may have hit hard, but let's get down to the honest truth about our health and lifestyle . You may be tired of hearing "what's your excuse" but the question is somewhat relevant.   Instead of owning the behaviors creating an unhealthy body, we tend to place blame where it doesn't belong. We blame our spouses, friends, and even media personalities for spouting unrealistic goals. Are they unrealistic or just our way of justifying the state of our health? What it comes down to is no one but you a...

The scale game starts as innocent accountability for weight loss and turns into a game of just how much we can get away with cheating on our program.   Who is guilty? The scenario typically looks like this... The fitness program is going great and the weight is coming off at a healthy rate. Suddenly, we begin validating food rewards for a job well done well above what's considered moderation.  We challenge the scale to see how far we can push those numbers because we think there's leeway.  Besides, we're doing such a great job and deserve a weekend of pizza, beer, and pastries, right? Wrong. This is a risky gamble and not a definition of living a healthy lifestyle .  The purpose of obtaining a healthy weight is not to yo-yo back and forth. It means taking our health seriously and maintaining the lifestyle.   If the scale gets in the way of that, it's time to toss it, especially when the 'scale game' derails our health and fitness goals. Relying on the ...

Most of us have the goal of wanting a fit and healthy body . Sadly, not all of us follow through with the action to make it happen. All too often something gets in the way of doing what needs to be done to make the wish a reality. It doesn't matter how much web surfing, article reading, or fit people watching is happening. If what you're doing isn't motivating you to take action, it's nothing but wasted time. In fact, all that time surfing the web could be time used to complete a workout or meal prep. I even have to limit myself and implement a certain amount of time for social media work. My life requires excellent time management to run my personal training business, writing obligations and maintain a healthy lifestyle . That means shutting down my computer and making the choice to exercise and prepare healthy meals for the week.  It's fun to dream about reaching our fitness goals . I am the first to applaud and be motivated by a fit body because I know the effor...

Adopting a healthy lifestyle and achieving fitness goals can provide a feeling of accomplishment in the beginning. We plug into our fitness apps, fit bits, eating right and motivated to exercise. We are in fitness euphoria and experiencing self-motivation at its peak. We are determined and feel nothing will get in the way of reaching our goals, right? This is awesome but the struggle is usually not in starting but in the maintaining . We all need to start the process of getting healthy but even more important is being able to continue the lifestyle. As we progress in our fitness journey, things often become less important. Our determined mental game starts to soften. Week three of the start may not feel as good or exciting anymore. Other things take priority and somehow being too busy to exercise or eat right dampen our motivation. Week four seems to be filled with obligations that become more important than the promise we made to ourselves to get healthy. Week five may involve a lon...

Living a healthy lifestyle is not about restriction but allowing for moderation. It's not realistic to eliminate a favorite food forever from our diet. I consider my occasional splurges as treats and not even cheats. Because eating them in moderation is an enjoyable experience. It's called living a balanced healthy life. I don't believe having a fresh baked brownie now and then is cheating on my fitness program. I follow a 90/10 rule consuming a wide variety of good carbs , lean proteins, and healthy fats 90% of the time. I allow for 10% indulgence like a glass of wine or dark  chocolate . These small treats won't derail my efforts as many of us are taught to believe. It's what we do consistently that defines what our body looks like. I will even apply the 80/20 rule eating healthy foods 80% of the time and allowing 20% for indulgence. This comes in handy when on vacation or during the holidays. I will not turn down a piece of my Mom's home-baked pie or biscu...

We have all experienced frustration and it's actually normal during our fitness journey. Nothing goes perfectly and results can take longer than we thought. When results are slower than expected, frustration can feel overwhelming. Staying motivated can be difficult during this time. Our feelings can move past frustration straight into pissed off and angry.  Frustration causes many of us to consider giving up. We doubt our efforts and think nothing will work. We may even return to old unhealthy habits. Before the negative mental game  stops you completely, consider fighting frustration with motivation . The truth is we're all working toward the same fitness goal but at differing rates of progress. Health is a process of small steps taken over time that provide big results. Just know each positive step to improve our health is working.  Our bodies know something good is happening, even when we're unable to see it. It's during times of the unseen we must have faith in ...

I stopped counting calories years ago. I simply made my focus eating healthy quality food each day. One of my favorite nutrition motivations is �no one has ever gotten fat eating too much kale.� I don't feel the need to keep track of my calories when I eat primarily nutrient-dense foods. The food I eat keeps me strong , healthy and feeling good and that's what matters. When your food is healthy, it promotes healthiness and appropriate body weight.  I keep my refrigerator and pantry stocked with plenty of organic vegetables, fruits, yogurts, raw nuts, grains, and lean meats. I graze throughout the day eating small healthy meals every three hours. This keeps me satisfied and well-fueled for work and physical training.  Maintaining a healthy body is about living a quality life. This means being concerned about the quality of food consumed. There's a big difference choosing to eat a fast food meal compared to an organic chicken breast with mixed greens. Healthy food is nutrient...

How many Mondays have gone by without starting a fitness program? What other things continue to take priority? We have good intentions, want to get in shape but follow through is lacking. It's time to put a stop to the excuses that get in the way of our health and fitness . Health is our wealth and we couldn't live such a busy life without it. Think about that. Declining health equals no work, no social life, and no money. Not that money is or should be the most important thing in life. Our priorities are skewed and our reasons to not get fit make no sense in the big scheme of life. Why are we waiting for illness to hit our life before taking action? Our lives require a priority overhaul. Don't you agree? Living a life without good health is not a quality life at all. When the morning routine means taking pills for proper body function there is something wrong. This is referencing self-induced illness created by not taking care of ourselves. This shouldn't be an accepta...

Believing anything happens quickly is not realistic. Fitness is a process of small changes creating large results over time. No magic wand to instantly provide a chiseled physique or bikini body . We may want that, but not how it works. Quick fix thoughts only set us up for frustration and failure. Achieve fitness one day at a time. Biceps don't suddenly appear after your first day in the gym. What does occur when you apply fitness daily is progress. The muscle will show up but let it work, grow and build. It's like a fine wine or great simmering stew. The journey will be rewarding but patience is required. One of the worst things you could do is to jump into a fad diet or take unregulated fat burning supplements thinking this is the answer. Read the small print on any of these pseudo-fitness deals. " Best results when accompanied with a healthy diet and exercise program " is what you'll find. All that needs to happen is to follow the small print which is the...

I love eating healthy, being active and how I feel as a healthy woman. I adopted a healthy lifestyle years ago and never looked back. Today it's my state of being and natural existence. My passion for health and fitness has become my occupation which is really a goal we should all have in life. When we do what we love, it really doesn't feel like work. It's a sharing and teaching of how I live my life. It feels awesome to be able to provide this gift to so many people. I am realistic about health and fitness. I don't teach perfection but celebrate progress. Fitness is not about a restrictive lifestyle but a healthy balance of eating right 80 to 90 percent of the time and regular exercise. I also don't believe in taking things to extremes where health would feel like a burden for me or anyone else. I encourage a strong and positive mental game and keeping health in perspective . When we enjoy our food intake and physical activity performed, it becomes a healthy hap...