Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

đź’© The 4 Fs of Bowel Health đź’©

~Ditch the Diet~

Yes, you are correct, we are about to talk about đź’©!

If you have ever talked to me at length about healthy eating, you already know that “bowl health” is very important to me!
While yes, it might be a really gross thing to talk about, it is so important! You can tell so much about what is going on inside your body by your bowl patterns.

Detox |lookingjoligood.wordpress.comFirst, let’s discuss what is considered to be a normal bowel routine.
 
While everyone’s bowel patterns are different, it is considered normal to have a bowel movement at most one to three times a day, or at the least three times a week.
You should never let yourself go more than 3 days without a bowel movement. Let me repeat that. You should never let yourself go more than 3 days without a bowel movement.
 
So now that you know what is normal, let’s talk about how you can get a better bowel pattern?
 

Detox |lookingjoligood.wordpress.com1) Fluids

First of all, make sure you are drinking plenty of Fluids!
Science time…Fluids are absorbed in the large intestine (also know as the colon). The more fluids readily available to your colon, the less it needs to work to absorb them.
Do you see where I am going here…the harder the colon has to work to draw out the necessary fluids your body needs, the harder you’ll have to work to get the waste it produces out. (Gross, I know, but so true.)


2) Fiber

Fiber helps to keep everything moving down and out.
The majority of American women do not get enough daily fiber. Most people should aim for 25–35 grams of fiber a day.
 
Here comes some more science…An added bonus to fiber is that it keeps you feeling fuller longer, as well as slowing down the absorption of sugar and the release of those sugars into your bloodstream.
beans beans beans | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

3) Flatulence!

Yes, I did just go there!
 
If you are not used to eating a fiber rich diet you need to take it slow! Don’t just start downing all the high fiber foods that you can find. Start with a little bit at a time and increase your intake by one of the things listed below every two -three days depending on how your gut is responding.
 
You cannot just increase your fiber without increasing your fluid intake. You will end up with a lot of gas and possibly even more stopped up!
I like to move it | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

4) Fitness

Let’s face it, exercise helps your body look better, feel better and function better. Lack of physical activity can contribute to constipation. Living a sedentary life can slow the digestive system. If you’ struggle with constipation exercising regularly can help get things going in more ways than one.
Add these for Fs into your life and you will have a healthy bowel in no time! đź’©
(Seriously though, how funny is the đź’© emoji? Lol!)

 

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No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #13

Here is a 4 Minute No Excuses Total Body Strength Workout for Beginners.  You won’t need any equipment for this super quick workout.  If you have 8 minutes, do it twice!

no gym no problem | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

 

Do you have 4 minutes to improve your heath and wellness? Yes, You Do! No Excuses, Just do it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts?  If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

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I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.  I would also love to follow you on Instagram and Twitter as well, so let me know your user name in the comment section below!

 

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

Perfection and Consistency

~Ditch the Diet~

perfection and consistency | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

A healthy lifestyle is not is not about perfection it is about consistency.

When something is done with consistency is when the results are seen. Consistently eating healthy, exercising, getting enough sleep, decreasing the stress in your life, these things bring positive results.

You are the only one who can choose what you will be doing consistently.

Keep in mind that consistency always brings results… we get to choose what we will be doing and whether those results will be negative or positive.

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I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three

 

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

Find Healthy Foods You Love and Enjoy Them!

fresh is best | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

~Ditch the Diet~

One of the most important parts of being successful at giving up dieting and living a healthy lifestyle is finding healthy foods you enjoy.

Since changing my eating habits two years ago I have found so many foods that I once thought I hated, but now I actually love.

Eggplant, Cucumbers, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Roasted Cauliflower, Baked Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Mushrooms. These are all things that I would never have eaten two years ago, yet they are now part of my everyday diet.

You know what, I still hate cooked peppers, I don’t think that will ever change. There are so many other healthy options that I do enjoy. When it comes to peppers, I just don’t eat them.

Set yourself up for success. Find healthy foods you love and enjoy them!

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I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

Shop the Perimeter

~Ditch the Diet~

Don’t know where to start when shopping for healthier food options at the grocery store?

Shop the perimeter.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to begin and end at the farmers’ market (although that is a good place to shop :-)).

fresh is best | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Grocery stores have plenty to offer. You just need to know what to look for. Convenience and healthy can be in the same place.

Most whole, natural foods are on the outside aisles of grocery stores.  Think about where you shop for food.  The perimeter is where the produce, dairy, and meat sections usually are.

fresh is best | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

As you go deeper into the center of the store, you encounter more processed and packaged food.

Start shopping for foods that don’t have labels.  The fresher the food you eat the better you will feel.

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No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem!

Tighten and tone your upper body in just 20 minutes!! Grab a pair of light free weights and get ready to work.  I used 8 lb weights, but you can use 5 or 10 lbs if you want to.

Remember to keep proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Do you have 20 minutes to improve your health? Yes, you do. No excuses, just do it!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts?  If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

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Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

Bottoms Up!

~Ditch the Diet~

I drink a lot of water! It is easy for me to get enough water in each day because I don’t even think about it, I have made it a habit.

Maybe you don’t have a habit of drinking water so you have a hard time remembering to drink water.

One of my tips for increasing water consumption is every time you go to the bathroom drink a full 8-ounce glass of water before you leave.

This habit will create a cycle, the more water you drink the more trips you will take to the bathroom, the more water you will drink. Before you know it you will be used to drinking water and will have created a new habit.

bottoms up | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Also, here is an interesting fact, when I worked in the hospital taking care of patients on fluid restriction, the Drs would always say to take all the straws out of the patient’s room.

Drinking out of a straw causes people to drink 30% more. So, stick a straw in your water and you will drink more without even realizing it.

Don’t wait until you feel thirsty to take a drink of water. Most likely by that point you are already slightly dehydrated.

 

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I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #9

Here is a 10 Minute Total Body Strength Workout for Beginners Workout by Jessica Smith.  You won’t need any equipment for this quick workout.

Do you have 10 minutes to improve your heath and wellness? Yes, You Do! No Excuses, Just do it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts?  If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.  I would also love to follow you on Instagram and Twitter as well, so let me know your user name in the comment section below!

 

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

The Size of Your Heart and The Size of Your Pants

ditch the diet | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

 ~Ditch The Diet~

I truly believe that God wants us to feel and be at our physical best! Although, this isn’t His primary concern, he can use us no matter what our health or physical condition.
2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
His main concern is with our spiritual well-being and ability to glorify Him.
Body size, shape, and weight, and outward appearance are over-emphasized in our society. These things are often the focus of our thoughts and energy at the expense of our inward character.
I Samuel 16:7for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
God looks on the heart | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
God is less concerned with the size of our pants and more concerned with the size of our hearts. He wants us to desire to please Him. He is less concerned with how long we live on this earth but is more concerned with how prepared we are for our eternal life.

God wants our hearts.

God wants your heart | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com
In 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Paul tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. In that case, we should take care of our bodies and keep them as healthy as we possibly can.
Knowing that unhealthy eating habits can lead to multiple health problems, including back and knee pain, cardiovascular complications, kidney issues and diabetes, we should make healthy choices regarding our food, drink, and exercise.
Jesus teaches to seek a balance between the physical and the spiritual. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4.
A strong, healthy body helps us better serve God, in the end bringing glory and honor to Him.
God truly wants us to keep our focus on Him. He gave us our body to be used to bring glory to him, not for us to be obsessing about weight gain, weight loss, or food and drink.
If we are not careful these things can easily become idols in our lives.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #8

no gym no problem | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that I have been teaching an exercise class at my church?!  Here is one of the workouts that we did together.

I love HIIT workouts!  HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. A HIIT workout consists of alternating levels of high and low-intensity activities.  Your level of intensity is based on your own physical fitness level.  Listen to your body!

Here is a breakdown of how to measure your own personal level of intensity:

1- resting in bed, sitting reading a book, watching TV
3- slow movements, body starts to warm up a bit, can easily carry on a conversation
5-body is warm, heart rate is slightly elevated, can still carry on a conversation, yet slightly out of breath
8-heart rate is elevated, cannot comfortably carry on a conversation
10-all out as hard as you can go, heart rate is at max level, if you push it any harder you may puke, pass out or die. (let’s not push it past a 10 :-))

Here is the HIIT workout: a 3:1 ratio of low intensity (level 5) for 90 seconds and high intensity (level 7-8) for 30 sec:

5 min warm up of slower smaller versions of the exercises to be done during the HIIT workout. (level 3)

low intensity (level 5) for 90 seconds/ high intensity (level 7-8) for 30 sec.

1. Hot Feet
2. Jump rope
3. High Knees
4. Skaters
5. Jumping Jacks
6. Single Leg Vertical Jumps
7. Alternating Double Knee Strikes
8. Punches
9. Mummy Kicks

4 min cool down (level 3) with 5 min stretches.
30 min total

Take 15-30 minutes and improve your day! Your heath and wellness are worth it!

Remember to keep proper form, Chest up, shoulders down, abs tight, knees above the ankles, behind the toes. Warm up before, and stretch after you exercise to prevent injury.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.