4 Helpful Tips That Keep You on Track for Maintaining a Healthy Weight

I Eat These Fruits and Veg Every Day to Maintain my Healthy Lifestyle

 

I’ve been maintaining a healthy weight for three years, and often, I get asked How do you keep off the weight? I’m here to let you in on my strategy. You won’t need to buckle your seat belt, or tighten your shoelaces, or hold on to your hat, because what I have to say isn’t an earth shattering revelation.

And I must be open about this, I am no expert, I’m not a nutritionist or fitness training professional. This is strictly based on my own experience. This is what has worked for me.

Here are my 4 simple steps to maintaining a healthy weight and/or lifestyle:

1. What do you Eat? I eat a lot of things. I don’t hold to any special diet or food combinations, or time restraints. I eat whatever, whenever, however. But, moderation and portion control are key. I will not joke about that. You cannot eat everything you want to eat all at one sitting! Balance, always balance. Is there something special you like to eat that might not be on the dean’s list of healthy food items? Great, balance it with a healthy food item. I like to practice mindful eating. Keep aware and limit yourself. Sure, this takes practice and discipline, but it can be done. Here are some examples of what I eat in a week: 1 apple, 1 Cutie, 1/4 of a cucumber, sliced in wedges, 3 baby peppers, sliced, 1/2-1 cup of baby carrots (this is every day) Greek Yogurt with granola (a couple tablespoons) topped with honey, eggs, string cheese, peanut butter, sliced deli turkey, gluten-free bread (one small slice, but sometimes two!) protein dairy shake (like Premier Protein) nuts (peanut and almonds) tuna, salad greens, lean meats such as chicken, fish, pork, lean cuts of beef such as sirloin, any and all vegetables, quinoa, Jasmine rice, potatoes. All right, so this list could go on forever, but that is a basic run down of what I like to eat. I will stress that I eat an apple, cutie, cucumber, carrots, peppers (see photograph above) every single day. This helps remind me to get in my vegetable requirement for the day. Next!
2. What Kind of Exercise Do you Like? I don’t like to sit a lot, I get stiff, I start walking around like I’m about 90 years old, and it sort of resembles how a crab crawls. I don’t like to do it! So moving around is really important. I do cardio, I won’t lie. Maintaining a cute figure can be tough, but it’s worth it! I like walking, I run/jog. Sometimes I do intervals where I jog slowly (you won’t believe how slow!) then fast, or walk a minute and run five minutes. Sometimes it’s just a quick run of 2-3 miles. I cannot leave out strength training exercises. So I mix it up, two days of focusing on the upper body and two days of focusing on the lower body. I’ve taken a lot of time with this, studying various techniques and forms and fitting them into my schedule. and then applying the suggested exercise into what I can easily accomplish. I’ve compiled a list of great exercises and routines, but all of it came about over time. My advice is to take your time, know what you can do and how long you can implement it into your lifestyle. Everyone is different, so make your routine work for you, and make it fun! Fun is key! Otherwise, you probably won’t enjoy it and you won’t stick to it. At the bottom of this page I’ll list some YouTube channels I personally subscribe to. But, there are loads of channels out there and something may be better for you than what I do. 
3. Hydrate, always hydrate. I drink water, but I actually like water. Some people don’t. So I can understand why hydration is a challenge. I have to actively remind myself to drink water. For some reason it just isn’t easy. It might surprise you to learn that you are probably not even drinking enough water. The eight glasses a day rule just does not apply to every one. There are many factors to consider. For instance, if you exercise, you might need more water, if you are on medication, if you are pregnant, or the change of season. Just a note on water, you can get water from fruits and vegetables too! Here’s a simple calculation that I learned on WW : If you are younger than 30 multiply your weight (in lbs) by 0.642, if you are 30-55 years multiply your weight (in lbs) by 0.56, and if you are older than 55 multiply your weight (in lbs) by 0.481. See? Easy peasy!
4. Move, move, move. I move so much more than I use to. As the saying goes You can’t outrun the fork. Even though I get in 20-30 minutes of cardio (sometimes longer) I can eat more than my fair share of any calories I burned. Any extra movement or even standing, is going to help in that area. To improve your moving around set a timer that goes off at an interval you deem suitable to remind yourself to stand up and move around. I love to dance around my house, and my favorite room is the kitchen. We call it Kitchen Dancing. Find what movements you can do and get started!

 

YouTube Channels I subscribe to: Blogilates, Athleanx.com, Erin Stern, Fabulous50s. Worth checking out. And remember, I pick and choose what I like, what I can do, and how much time I’m willing to put into it.

One reminder: be very careful when choosing a diet regime, or exercise program. When strength training learn good form, it is the foundation of every move. Moderation is the key! You don’t want to break your body down as your trying to build it up. Accidents can happen, so please be careful and stay safe!

 

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April Voytko Kempler is the author of The Altered I: Memoir of Holocaust Survivor Joseph Kempler available on Amazon in print and ebook and Barnes and Noble in print format, and anywhere books are sold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Care-Giving Is Not for Wimps

Sorry I’ve been missing in action lately. Let me update everyone on the latest Joe development. I’ve really gotten my feet wet in the care-giving world and let me tell you, it is harder than it looks! My mother-in-law needed a break and since Joe needs 24-hour supervision we pitched in to help. My brother-in-law took night duty and I had Joe during the day.  This was a five day endeavor and I was pretty wiped out when all was said and done.

My hats off to those who are primary care-givers, this is no easy task. To tell the truth, I found it a privilege to care for my father-in-law. Once he got up and around there was a big improvement in his alertness and energy levels. He needed his medication, his meals, his exercise and his socialization to keep him going in the right direction. He is so much stronger than he was a month ago, his appetite is hale and hearty and he even makes a joke or two now and then. He calls me “the laughing lady” because I laugh at him all the time. He is really funny! I’m so glad to see his sense of humor has returned. There is that old familiar sparkle in his eyes once again. All the work, time and energy are worth it when we see him improving physically.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I will be back on track soon with more tidbits from the book, The Altered I, a Holocaust Memoir plus my random thoughts on writing.

Best to all of you!

Alzheimer’s Affects the Whole Family

Many of you don’t know that my father-in-law, Joseph Kempler, has recently been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. This came as no real surprise to the family. We had been noticing a steady physical decline and memory loss for years. But, an unexpected hospital stay awakened us to the realities of Joseph’s situation.

It turns out the symptoms that prompted Joseph’s hospital stay might be associated with some new medication he is taking, but the results of that visit were a breakthrough for my husband and I, who had been begging Joseph’s wife and primary care-giver to get assistance with in-home help the last few years.

When handed this kind of information the first thought is, how can I help my loved one? What steps do I need to take? Can I do this?  This has just become an overwhelming situation, and perhaps the first instinct is to isolate oneself and run for cover. There are so many things to set in place: in-home help, nursing, monitoring physical activity, monitoring food intake, and medication intake.

An important step is always to put the care for the Alzheimer’s victim in first place.

Second, we need to ask ourselves if the person can be left on their own, or do they need supervision? Are they still capable of doing things for themselves? This is harder to determine than you might think. A form of denial is given an opportunity to develop within the spouse or child of the Alzheimer’s victim, or whoever is appointed as the primary care-giver. After all, perhaps the person isn’t that bad yet, they don’t wander out of the house, or endanger themselves when left alone.

Although Joseph barely moved around and was content to sit in his chair drinking tea and doing crossword puzzles, there were so many other important facets of care-giving that needed to be considered. The ordinary things Joseph used to do for himself, such as bathing, dressing, communicating, can no longer be accomplished without help. These may seem like simple common sense things to  you and me, but if the care-giver is new to the depth, breadth, and width of care-giving, they may need more clear direction and perhaps a health-care professional to show them exactly how it should be carried out.

Initially, the primary care-giver will think they have it covered. They don’t need outside help, and that they are doing the best they can. Sometimes though “the best they can” just isn’t quite enough. For instance, in our family, Joseph is stubborn… no, he is downright mulish. Getting him up in the morning, washed, dressed and fed is practically a feat of Olympic proportions. Sometimes it is just easier to leave him be. But, as hard as this is, leaving him be is about the worst way to handle it. Care-giving is exhausting work, it is almost like living for two people. Gone is the independence and dignity each person had formerly been accustomed to.

Third, the caregiver needs to allow others to help. This is where we, as the children, enter the scene. Often Joseph will listen to his son  before he will follow the directions of his wife and care-giver. Don’t ask me why, but Paul has a tone in his voice that indicates he will not back down and Joe obediently does what he is supposed to do.

We are learning how to handle Joseph’s health crisis together. We will definitely make mistakes along the way. No two people with Alzheimer’s react the same, that is why it is so complicated and heart-breaking.

I’m pleased to say Joseph Kempler, age eighty-five, is now home and stable. We have a plan of action and hopefully a new outlook on this horrible condition that strikes so many families. In-home care has been planned for and is in the process of being instituted. With support, communication and a ready hand we can pull together as a family and help each other through Joseph’s worsening condition.

Related articles

• What’s It Like to Have Alzheimer’s and Get Worse? (asourparentsage.net)
• Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease topic of luncheon (victoriaadvocate.com)

Cloudy with an Ounce of Sunscreen: Why You Should Apply Sunblock All Year Round

October may seem like an odd time for a blog about sunscreen, but sunscreen is my personal passion. It is what I’m known for by my friends. I always say sunscreen is the cheapest skin care there is.

Recently my father had a battle with basal cell carcinoma. He is an HVAC man, and for forty years he worked outdoors on the high rooftops of commercial buildings in Los Angeles, repairing air conditioning units. Never once did he think about sunscreen or skin cancer. One day last year, he noticed a small pimple-like bump on the side of his nose. He picked at and it sort of went away. But not really, it started growing back and got bigger and bigger. My mom and I begged him to get it checked out, which he did. The diagnosis came back as basal cell carcinoma. After some facial reconstructive surgery he looks just like himself again. To our relief he now wears sunscreen every single day.

UVA (ultraviolet rays) can damage cells and lead to melanoma. UV rays are determined little you-know-whats, and can penetrate through glass (i.e., your car, or office), smog, and clouds. So even if it looks like a cloudy day, the sun’s rays are still out there doing their job. Don’t wait for a day at the beach next summer to apply sunscreen, do it everyday and protect yourself from skin cancer.

• Look for sunscreen that says “broad spectrum” or that covers UVA/UVB
• Apply sunscreen indoors, and at least thirty minutes before going outside
• For waterproof sunscreens reapply after 90-minutes
•  Use a minimum SPF 15
• Look for these ingredients in your sunscreen: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone

I personally use Neutrogena brand SPF 90 with Helioplex (a combination of avobenzone and oxybenzone) and Coppertone Nutra Shield SPF 70 (it also has a combination of avobenzone and oxybenzone). Although experts say over SPF 50 it just gets silly, but I take all I can get!

Another benefit of using sunscreen as a daily part of your skin care regime is staving off photo-aging. That is the sun’s version of chronological aging. Aside from my daily walk outdoors(I always wear sunscreen and a hat), I avoid the sun like the plague!

If you want to prevent skin cancer and photo-aging then stock up on sunscreen now and apply it liberally every day.

That’s what I’ve got to say. What do you do to prevent premature aging and skin cancer?

 

Related articles

• Sunscreens You Won’t Mind Wearing Away From the Beach (bellasugar.com)
• Beauty Products I’m Loving: La Roche-Posay Tinted Sunscreen (whattheflicka.com)
• What A Person Should Know About Basal Cell Carcinoma (thesurvivaladvantage.com)