If you’ve ever tried reading the nutrition label on something you’re about to buy, then you know it can be confusing. What’s really healthy for you and what isn’t? Should you worry more about calorie count or fat content?

It depends on what your goals are. If pure weight loss is your aim, you’ll want to pay more attention to calorie count. If you’re trying to reduce your cholesterol, then the fat content of your food may be more important.

We all need some fat in our diets. Fats are for important for normal nerve functioning. They also provide energy and protect organs. For healthy adults, 20 to 35 percent of total daily calories should be from fat.

A great way to stay on top of it is by keeping a journal. List the foods you eat, their calorie and fat content. The type of fat makes a difference. Lowering your calorie intake may help you lose weight, but it might not necessarily make you healthier if you’re still eating the wrong kinds of fats.

Eliminate trans-fats. These are found in baked goods, margarine and fried foods. Limit the amount of saturated fat you eat, which comes from butter, red meat and whole-fat dairy products. Replace saturated fats with healthy unsaturated fats found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and fish.

Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean getting rid of all fats.  By keeping track of what fats you eat, you can keep the good and throw out the bad. 

If you would like our help understanding how this impacts you, please give us a call to set up an appointment to discuss your personal health situation and the best way to get started.

Starting an exercise program can be pretty daunting, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve visited the inside of a gym. The good news is that an exercise program doesn’t have to make you miserable.

Easy does it

Often when we start, we’re full of enthusiasm and overdo it. Why do 20 sit-ups when you can probably manage 50? When we wake up the next morning, we know why.

The key to starting an exercise program is to build up gradually. Even world-class athletes didn’t get that way overnight. Don’t try to do too much all at once.

Don't forget to warm up

Stretching is very important. Muscles and ligaments that haven't been used for a while may have lost some of their flexibility, especially once we get older. Many injuries that happen during exercise could have been prevented with proper stretching and warm-up routines.

Be realistic

Have a firm understanding of your goals, and be reasonable in your expectations. What do you want to accomplish with your exercise program? You may never become a champion weight-lifter or a professional gymnast, but even a ten-minute walk every day can help you feel and move better. 

Exercise can be a key part of a healthy lifestyle. By taking the right steps at the beginning of your exercise program, you can get make it a lasting part of your lifestyle.    

If you would like our help understanding how this impacts you, please give us a call to set up an appointment to discuss your personal health situation and the best way to get started.

Many parents feel like they need a crystal ball when it comes to figuring out how to prepare their children for college and careers after they leave the nest. Naturally, you want your child to find a job in a field that will provide successful, long-term employment. But there's no way to predict the future, and there's no formula for figuring out how college + graduation - tuition x years enrolled = lucrative career + happy life.

A degree in four years?

Remember that there's no guarantee that your child will graduate in four years. In fact, a longer time in college is much more usual than in the past. That means added expense. But private universities, even though their tuition is higher, provide more services like tutoring and counseling that can steer a student toward earning the degree in four years. So maybe the expense of a private university and graduation in four years evens out the cheaper tuition of a state university where your child could be a student for six years.

Will they get a job?

Every new "hot topic" for jobs has also had its down time, so when sitting down to plan for college, encourage your child to think in broad terms. When checking out the universities, you want to examine the school’s job-placement rates. You can take a trip to the school's career center to find out what employers from which fields are on-site interviewing students. Press the university for information on graduation rates and job-placement rates.

Keep in mind your child's birthday. Sure, you remember well when your son or daughter was born. But the child who’s planning for college is making decisions out of a 17- or 18-year old mentality.

Life and college, and even self-awareness, change, and with that change can come new insights into what they really want to be when they grow up. Reassuring your child that they haven't missed the deadline for figuring out the future may prevent many headaches over the course of time.

Many high school grads even benefit from taking a ‘gap’ year, and deferring their freshman year at college, while working and learning life skills that can give them a solid reality check.

Teaching your children healthy snack habits can pay dividends that last them a lifetime. They’ll have increased energy, better learning and lower their risk of developing health problems.  

Here are some things you can do to promote good snack habits:

• Set a good example. If you’re snacking on unhealthy food, it makes it much more difficult to convince your children that  they shouldn’t.
• Set a regular schedule for snacks. Continuous snacking during the day may lead to overeating, but a planned snack can be part of a healthy diet. 
• Have healthy snacks available. Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it has to taste bad. Many sites on the Internet and in cookbooks have recipes that are healthy and easy to make. 
• Don’t let them snack in front of the TV. Television can be a distraction, making it difficult for them to realize they’re full. 
• Don’t use food as a punishment. Withholding food may make children anxious they won’t get enough to eat and encourage them to eat as much as they can when they get the chance.
• Involve your kids in your shopping. Taking them with you will give you an idea of what they like and give you the chance to teach them about nutrition.

How your children eat is largely up to you. By developing healthy snack habits, you can help them feel great now and in the future.

You’ve tossed and turned all night. As you start out the next morning, you have only to rub your tired eyes to know the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, however. Here are some tips to help you get the rest you need:

• Set a regular schedule.Most people have a natural waking/sleeping pattern called the Circadian Rhythm. The more in tune you are with you body’s natural sleep schedule, the more energized and refreshed you’ll feel. When the body is in rhythm, it can make better use of the time it has to rest.
• Let the sun shine in.Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your circadian cycle. Your brain should secrete more in the evening, when it’s dark, to make you sleepy, and less during the day when it’s light and you want to stay awake and alert. You can try opening the curtain in your home when you’re there or spending some time outside during breaks at work.
• Make your bedroom sleep friendly.A comfortable bed can go a long way towards getting a good night sleep. Keep the room at a comfortable temperature. If possible, try to keep your environment soothing and peaceful. If that’s not entirely possible, consider introducing some ‘white noise’ like the sound of a fan or a recording of the ocean waves washing in.

Keep experimenting until you find the right combination for you. After all, a great day often starts with a great night of sleep.

The days grow shorter. The kids are back to the school. The sweltering summer heat gives way to crisp mornings and falling leaves. For many of us, autumn is a beautiful, magical time when the trees are ablaze with various shades of red, gold and yellow.

If you enjoy traveling to view the fall colors, here are four great places to consider:

Aspen, Colorado Known as much for its skiing as its foliage, the trees near Aspen turn a bright yellow in the fall, and shimmer like a yellow curtain in the breeze. The contrast with the pines and the mountains is said to be breath taking.

The Catskills, New York StateThe foliage in the Catskills is chock-full of reds, oranges and yellows.  The area is a year round destination. In addition to its beautiful foliage, the Catskill region features a wide variety of festivals and craft fairs.

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Carved from the Cascade Mountains, this stretch of land features furs, cottonwoods, big-leaf maples and Oregon ash in their full fall glory.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee  This park, in one of the most densely wooded areas in the country, has over 100 varieties of native trees, including scarlet oaks, maples, sweetgums and hickories. 

For other areas, check out Road Trip America to help you find the perfect place. Taking a road trip to view fall foliage is one of the easiest ways to see some of America’s awe-inspiring natural beauty. Enjoy!