New Year, New Leaf: Do You Make these Wellness Mistakes?

Dec. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- As the New Year rolls around, people vow to lose those last pesky pounds eat healthier or get rid of some unhealthy habit. Yet, according to According to Medical Daily, 60 percent think they’ll break their New Year’s resolutions!

With a little knowledge and some easy, quick fixes you can help make 2013 the healthiest year of your life.

Here are the top five wellness mistakes:

NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP: A study by the Archives of Internal Medicine gave 153 people the rhino virus (common cold) by nose drop. It was found that those studied who got at least seven hours of sleep per night were 300% less likely to catch a cold. So here’s the bottom-line: Sleep deprivation leads to exhaustion, which can lead to chronic illnesses and injury–and even possibly weight gain since sleep has a direct effect on 3 hormones that regulate appetite.

SKIPPING BREAKFAST: Breakfast breaks the overnight fast and will start up your metabolism. If you skip breakfast (or any other meal) your body will think it is starving and will go into protection mode by lowering your metabolism. That means you could actually gain weight by not eating a meal and you’ll be fatigued, overly-stressed, fuzzy-brained and run out mid-morning for that coffee and donut snack. You might possibly overeat at the next meal. too, since your body will insist on making up those lost calories.

NOT PAYING ENOUGH ATTENTION TO THE TOXINS HIDDEN IN FOODS: For instance, those processed meats, like bacon, hot dogs, and sausage, are often loaded with sodium nitrate, a preservative that can lead to heart problems and Type 2 diabetes; research even points to it possibly increasing your risk of developing certain cancers. Diet soda and artificial sweeteners can lead to prolonged exposure to aspartame, a neurotoxic chemical additive in these products that can result in nerve cell damage, dizziness, and headaches; mass-produced snacks, like cookies and crackers usually include hydrogenated oils to lengthen their shelf life and are also associated with diabetes and heart disease.

TRYING TO FIGHT, RATHER THAN LEARN, ABOUT YOUR CRAVINGS: Cravings can give us brilliant information about our bodies. For instance, did you know that a sugar craving is often your body’s cry for energy? Deconstruct it: Is that your body’s way of telling you to slow down, engage in some stress reduction, or to relax and sleep a little more?? By the way, once you figure out what the body is telling you, you’ll handle the cravings-and the weight will start releasing.

NOT EXERCISING ENOUGH: Anyone remember the episode of the television show “Everybody Loves Raymond” when Raymond becomes thrilled with the sudden, dramatic increase in his sex life–until he finds an exercise class flier–featuring the photo of a very handsome instructor on his wife’s bedroom table? He thinks the instructor is the reason for her sudden interest but, when he confronts her, she says: “Has it ever occurred to you that I’m just feeling much better about myself these days?”
So there you have it. Exercise makes us feel better physically and mentally. It fights fatigue by carrying oxygen and nutrients to the cells and helps detoxify the body by getting rid of toxins, accumulated wastes and poisons. It also improves our mood by releasing those natural, feel-good substances, endorphins which, in turn, also help us handle stress and makes us sleep better.

… AND HERE’S A BIG WELLNESS MISTAKE FOR YOUR PET

The wellness-centered family includes everyone, even the 4-legged furry children. Even if we don’t realize it, we pick up on each other’s energy and dynamics. As one vet recently told me, “If someone comes in with an overweight pet, I look first at the owner–and chances are, he or she is also overweight.”

Even if you’re tempted by a rocky economy, don’t cut corners on your pet’s health. February is National Pet Health Month, so earmark it as a reminder to take your furry child in for a check up.
Just as with humans, early detection is best. Regular pet checkups will monitor your animal’s overall health, focus on prevention and education-and, quite possibly, save you money in the long-term.
Think that extra pound or two on your pet is no big deal? Think again: A couple of extra pounds on an animal is comparable to 30-50 pounds on a human.

Please remember also that your pet can’t tell you when it’s in pain; what you might think is just routine bad behavior can actually be an acting out for a tooth-ache, stomach-ache, or something else. Ever hear the story of the cat that urinated in the bathtub? Turns out the cat only wanted to bring her urinary tract infection to the attention of the owner.

“When a problem is still small, it can be less complicated and less expensive to manage, and I see this a lot with dental care,” says Dr. Michael Farber, DVM, of West Chelsea Veterinary in New York City. “Sometimes people will wait until the tooth is abscessed before they come in, but if the problem was caught three or six months prior, that tooth probably could have been saved.”

About Irene:

A certified health and wellness coach, she helps people get off the diet roller coaster--to  lose weight for good and live a life of health and overall well-being.

Author of the e-book, Sugar's Sour Story and the forthcoming , 25 Ways to Fire Up Your Life: Increase Energy Get More Done in Less Time, Balance Your Life, her website is: www.irenefross.com.  

Irene will be on radio Wednesday, January 2 at 9:30 AM EST to discuss gratitude and health: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/timetoplay/2013/01/02/timeto...