Posted by Michelle Hering on Tue, Aug 04, 2009
My mom and dad visited recently, and they gave us the greatest gift. Knowing how stressed and sleep-deprived my husband and I have been with a sick baby and dog, they offered to watch Reid so we could spend a night at a hotel. This fits so nicely with one of Bob's main messages on TheBestLife.com (which he talks about it in a number of articles and in some of his webcasts): Consistency is key. If you are able to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, nutritious diet and exercise plan, you will be successful. Of course, this won't always be possible, but getting back into a regular routine after a setback or slip-up is the only way to achieve your goals.
The night in a hotel was such an amazing gift because not only did we get a much-needed full night of sleep, but we were also able to talk about what was going on in our lives and make a plan to move forward. We now know how we want to manage our workouts, how we're going to handle the dog and how to ensure we're eating healthy meals. After a bumpy period of self-discovery—my role as a new mom collided with my goal to be a marathon runner once again—I think I'm finally back on track. After all, I know I have to keep at it if I want to achieve my goals of getting back in shape and running a marathon.
Posted by Michelle Hering on Thu, Apr 30, 2009
Finances are tight for a lot of Americans, and as a result, many people have started to try to figure out where they can make cuts to save cash. My husband and I have had our own budget discussions recently, and we've debated whether our gym memberships are worth it. Of course, I never want to skimp on my health so I carefully weighed the pros and cons of keeping the membership.
While I was busy considering what I loved and hated about the gym, I started to think about setting up a home gym. I wondered if we had the room for it, how much it would cost and whether or not I was crazy to even consider it. I quickly scoured the articles in TheBestLife.com's library, which feature home workout routines (both cardio and strength training) as well as tips on essential and inexpensive equipment, and realized I could not only build a home workout space, but be successful if we needed to. Ultimately, we decided to stick with our memberships for now, but I know that if we ever do need to take a break, we could skip the gym, save some cash and still stay fit.
Posted by Michelle Hering on Wed, Apr 15, 2009
We all have stressful moments (traffic, a tense work meeting, a burned dinner)—mine just happened to all come on the same day. On this day, my three-month-old son Reid had been awake and fussy right from the beginning—I had a chance to shower but that was it. My husband was late coming home from work and I hadn't heard from him. The dog was scratching to go outside, and oh, did I mention that it was 27 degrees outside?
I needed a break and I wasn't sure how to take one, so I cracked and fell into the pattern that Bob describes so well in the emotional connection section of the Best Life plan. I was grabbing food
from wherever I could find it and just shoving it in my face. I'm not even
sure I was really tasting what I was eating.
When I was finally finished with the food fest, I remembered one of Bob's popular self-help exercises, the Circle of Life, so I opened the book up and went through the exercise of examining my life. This was a blessing because hosestly, the breakdown came without warning. Looking over my life and evaluating the emotional connection I had to each area, I was able to identify a problem: I had no idea when my husband was due home each night. The fact that he was late wasn't a problem—I just didn't know how late he was going to be, which prevented me from mapping out my evening—when to cook and eat dinner, walk the dog, put the baby down, etc. I felt like my energy was quickly draining as I waited for him to come home. After we talked, I was able to develop a timeline so I could plan the rest of my evening, and that helped to get me back on track. From now on, we're going to communicate better about our schedules, and that should prevent any emotionally induced eating frenzies. At least that's one less thing to stress about!
To learn more about the Circle of Life and the Best Life plan, check out TheBestLife.com.
Posted by Janis Jibrin on Fri, Apr 03, 2009
It's 8 p.m., you just got home from a jam-packed day, and the last
thing you feel like doing is making a meal from scratch. Now there's no
need: Just pop a frozen meal in the microwave. Microwave meals have
come a long way in recent years—there are now loads of healthy options
to choose from. In fact, Bob Greene liked the wide variety and
healthful choices offered by Lean Cuisine so much that he has put
The
Best Life Seal on many of their products.
So, what makes a healthy microwave meal? The product should have:
• No more than 700 mg sodium per meal
• No hydrogenated (or partially hydrogenated) oils
• A limited amount of saturated fat. Products with 200 calories or less should have no more than 3 grams saturated fat; products with 200 to 450 calories should have no more than 5 g; and products with 450 calories or more should have no more than 6 g.)
• Balance. Ideally, your frozen dinner should contain whole grains and at least one vegetable serving. (Many state servings of veggies, grains, etc. right on the label.)
• At least 1 g fiber per 100 calories
Ironically, one of the main problems I see with the more healthful meals is that they're too low in calories. You should aim for 400 to 450 calories for lunch and about 500 to 550 calories for dinner. Many frozen meals come in with fewer calories (anywhere from 300 to 400), so you'll need to round them out with steamed (frozen, if you'd like) vegetables drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, a glass of fat-free milk, a piece fruit, or another healthy add-on.
For more on putting together healthy meals in a hurry, check out TheBestLife.com.
Posted by Luke Scott on Wed, Mar 25, 2009
Bob Greene offered tips on what foods you should eat to get enough fiber in your diet on Good Morning America today. Bob also annouced his MOVE Campaign, which highlights effective osteoarthritis pain management techniques. Click here to read about the high-fiber foods and watch the video with Bob Greene and Diane Sawyer.
Bob Greene on Good Morning America
