It’s 2016 and we have so many goals and dreams we want to fulfill. One thing people want to change in their lives is their health. It is important to stay healthy, but it is hard to maintain health. Here are three key points that will help you in becoming and staying healthy.
1. Eating habits.
How many of us have said “At the beginning of the year, I am going on a diet”, but fall off within the first month? Being healthy is more important than dieting; it’s a life style change. We can go overboard with the term “diet”. There are so many different diet craves that may help you lose weight, but isn’t something that is meant to do long-term. If you try to change your eating habits, it can help you lose and maintain your weight. By cutting down on your portion size, eating more small meals throughout the day, not starving yourself, adding a salad to your meal or snacking on fruits and not junk food will help you become a more healthier eater which can lead to you in loosing and keeping the weight off. Remember: Eating healthy is 80% of the battle in weight loss.
2. Exercising.
Exercising is important to becoming and staying healthy. If you have not worked out before, please don’t start working out several days a week. By doing this, you will burn yourself out and exercising will become a chore and not something you look forward to. You should begin with exercising for a few minutes a couple of times a week. Every week you should increase your exercising time by at least 5 minutes. If you are able to join a gym, use the free training session as a way to understand the equipment that is there. It is important to understand how to workout so you don’t injure yourself. Also, exercising should be fun and there are different exercise classes you can attend such as Zumba, Hip Hop, Kickboxing etc. You can work out as a group with your friends or co-workers.
3. Conditioning your mind.
I believe the most important way to loosing and maintain your weight so you can become healthy is your determination. If you put in your mind that you will make a conscious choice to become healthy, it will help you in maintaining your eating and exercising. It is easy to talk yourself out of eating right and working out, but understand that being healthy is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. It may have taken you years to become unhealthy so it will take years to become and stay healthy.
Healthy does not mean being a size 6 and unhealthy does not mean being a size 12. Healthy is what you and your doctor sees fit, so please consult your doctor to help you with becoming and staying healthy in 2016.

Dione Simmons, MA, LPC

Transitions Counseling offers flexible scheduling hours to meet most client needs and budget.
Contact us today at 817-680-9218

Are you approaching the senior citizen age or actually there already? Have you retired from one job or about to? What are your plans going forward as father time creeps up on you? Well I’m glad you asked. There are many individuals that are currently faced with these questions and as yet have not found any answers.

I’m going to propose an answer to these questions that will initially sound daunting, if not flat out scary. May I suggest returning to school? I know that this presents an onslaught of other questions however, before allowing fear and interpretation to close your mind to the idea, consider the following.

It is a well-researched fact that as individuals age, the more he/she stays active mentally, the better that individual’s over-all mental health remains. Involvement in school activities not only helps keep the mind sharp, it increases social interactions in a variety of ways. Meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, being involved in all sorts of activities, and sharing your life experiences with others all lend to a healthier life style in addition to improved mental health. Depending on personal interests, needs and ambitions, returning to school can be an avenue for positive change.

On a personal note, I returned to school much later in life and found that as a non-traditional student
the over-all quality of my life has improved greatly. Avenues have opened up that I would have never imagined, I have gained new friends from all walks of life, and my goals have a much more positive spin other than just retiring and collecting retirement and Social Security. I feel that my life has begun anew.

Sorting out the idea of taking this step, at this time in life and as previously noted may appear daunting and scary. This is where the counselors here at Transitions can be of help for you. We can discuss your concerns and fears, offer some suggestions on courses of action, and walk side by side with you as you begin a new journey in your life.

Harold L. Willis,  MA, LPC, LCDC, SAP

Transitions Counseling offers flexible scheduling hours to meet most client needs and budget.
Contact us today at 817-680-9218