 By Jean GrahamIf writers still used manual typewriters, there would be a steady clickety-clack, clickety-clack, DING! throughout the Garden State. If they were still using electric typewriters, New Jersey would hum from Stokes State Forest to Wildwood Crest. Computers being virtually silent, there is barely auditory evidence of this. But rest assured that local writers are producing a bumper crop of books, and their content is as diverse as the state itself. Self-help books. Journals. History books. Nature guides. Poetry and humor, and short-story collections. Fiction for young adults and fiction for not-so-young adults. Although the following books that have poured into The Star-Ledger’s office over the past year by New Jersey writers is impressive, it is by no means complete; homegrown writers are constantly adding to the list. Herewith, a mere sampling. (Excerpt) ADVICEAdvice from educators includes Maureen Baldwin’s “Colleges at a Glance: A Concise Country-Wide College Search Guide for Average Students” (Maureen Baldwin) and Andrew Aloysius McCabe’s “The Gifted One: The Journey Begins” (Balboa Press). “So You Want to Be a Landlord: Tales from the Crypt” (djv murphy), by High Bridge’s DJV Murphy, examines the pitfalls of managing rental properties. And Midland Park’s Les and Sue Fox find masterpieces in unlikely places in “The Art Hunters Handbook: How To Buy Art for $5 and Sell It for $1,000,000” (West Highland Fine Art & Publishing). CPA Thomas Corley tells how to improve your finances in “Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals” (Langdon Street Press), and Red Bank’s Chris Ruisi tells how to maximize your potential in “Step Up and Play Big” (Advantage Media Group). Liz DiMarco Weinmann empowers women over 40 in “Get DARE (Drive, Advance, Rule, Express) From Here!” (Liz DiMarco Weinmann); and Morris County’s Laura O’Reilly provides diet and exercise motivation in “Get Fit To Go” (Unlimited Publishing).
Former prisoner and current Newark community activist Rickey Samad Danzey delivers a short but powerful message to young people in “Caution: A Message to Our Youth, Our Future” (Ambitious Publishing). To read the entire article go to http://bitly.com/JhCDXR Get Fit to Go is avalable in print, on kindle and for Android.
 If food is fuel for the body why not treat your body like a Mercedes?
Excerpt from "Get Fit To Go: Motivation to Exercise and Get Healthy"
Would you drive your car with sludge in the engine, knowing it could break down at any time because you didn’t make an effort to have the oil changed? Of course not! Exercise is about maintenance. Maintaining your body is the best resolution you can make on New Year’s Day and straight through the seasons.
Thanks to all who generously participated in my last survey, "Health Into The Future". Here are the results.
Who
participated:
Male under 40
0.0%
Male over 40
10.3%
Female under 40
13.8%
Female over 40
75.9%
Here's what they had to say:
1. Have you ever given thought to your health and mobility
20 years into the
future?
Yes Frequently
41.4%
Yes
Sometimes
55.2%
No Never
3.4%
2.
Have you ever considered the fact that one day to you would need long
term
care?
Yes Frequently
10.3%
Yes
Sometimes
48.3%
No Never
41.4%
3.
Do you choose your foods with the understanding that nutrition may have an
impact
on your long-term health?
Yes Always
10.3%
I am aware of the value of nutrition and eat healthy foods most of the
time
82.8%
I do not pay attention to the nutrition content in foods
6.9%
4. In a typical week,
how many times do you exercise?
Among 29 participants who
answered this question: 3/29 - 0 days, 1/29 - not enough,
5/29 - 2 days,
6/29 -3 days, 7/29 - 4 days, 4/29 - 5 days, 1/29 - 7 days, 2/29
- 7 days (a
little), 7 days (short duration workouts)
(LO comments- Based on the
different responses it is evident that those who are
exercising regularly
have differing routines. Some exercise everyday for
shorter periods, while
others exercise a few times a week hitting it a little
harder—whatever
works and is enjoyable becomes your way of life. Those who are
not
exercising at all- if your endurance is low or you just do not enjoy
exercise even small and moderate amounts of daily physical activity lead tom
improved health. It does not have to be structured, but you need to move your
body.
6. Do you think of
your long term health when you
exercise?
Yes
62.1%
No
37.9%
7.
Do you eat food for improved mental
function?
Yes
20.7%
No
37.9%
Sometimes
41.4%
8. Do you drink diet
soda?
Yes
3.4%
No
69.0%
Sometimes
27.6%
9. How much water do you
drink?
One 8 oz. cup per day
6.9%
Two-Three 8 Oz. cups
per day
34.5%
Four to Six 8 Oz. cups per day
41.4%
At least Eight 8
Oz. cups per day
17.2%
10. Do you eat
white or whole grain bread on a regular basis?
Mostly white
bread
11.1%
Mostly whole grain bread
88.9%
This site is dedicated to providing sound advice for healthy living. Please check in for tips to help you to live a fitter, healthier lifestyle.
TODAY I write in the truest fashion of the blogger- to spill my guts, rant, and get some stuff off my chest.
We don't all need to be skinny minnies but we do all need to treat our God given bodies with respect and nurture it with foods that promote health- these foods are: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protiens and a minimal amount of junk foods and sweets.
Regular exercise is not just about wearing a swimsuit in public. It is about conditioning your heart- the very heart that has the life sustaining, formidable task of keeping us alive. Respect it. Love it. Give it exercise and feed it healthy foods. Don't clog the highways it needs to do its job to circulate your blood. (Think about a bus trying to get around double parked cars on Lexington Avenue.) Clogged arteries disrupt the flow of blood- sometimes taking it to a complete stop- hence a heart attack or stroke!!
FOOD IS FUEL FOR THE BODY. Nutrition makes every cell in the body do its job.
It REALLY is Simple- The body is alive and needs live nutrients. PERIOD. Your car doesn't run on milk- it runs on gas. Our bodies cannot run on junk! We need to provide it with nutrients.
Years ago a doctor in Italy told me- (no one can dispute the fact that the Italians have it right when it comes to food) DO NOT EAT PROCESSED FOODS. That advice is better than any medicine anyone can ever prescribe me after I am already ill. AFTER THE FACT can be too late. After we have cancer (the types that can be prevented) After we have diabetes (the type that can be prevented) After we (with healthy thyroids and metabolism) gain so much weight that it is impossible to exercise and we compromises our quality of life and put our health in jeopardy.
Thank God there is medication to treat disease and save lives, but prevention keeps the quality of life going and avoids the need for medications we need after we are already ill. After is complicated, painful, stressful and costly. Before- can make a difference. Before- we can prevent. Before- is NOW.
WHO DO WE BLAME? THE MEDIA? THE MEDICAL PROFESSION? OURSELVES? OUR PARENTS?
Let's stop blaming and start changing.
Medical professionals need to be educators and facilitators of heathy lifestyles. Some physicians could play a larger role by advocating for a healthy lifestlye before handing out prescriptions. Just saying to your patient "You should lose weight" is NOT ENOUGH. Nurses are so overworked with being assigned too many patients for one person to handle and doing medication pass on hospital floors that they do not have time to do important counseling and lifestyle education upon discharge. I know this from experience.
I am a girl on a mission and my mission is to get the word out. It starts at home, in the schools, in the work place. It starts in our own refrigerators.
I wrote a really good book on the subject. It doesn't have any steamy sex scenes, but being healthy and fit can definitely help your sex life! (Since sex sells I figured I'd throw that in!)
Be Wel!
Laura
Friday, February 3rd is National WEAR RED DAY. Wear Red and show your support for women’s heart health. Make it your mission to fight heart disease in women.
While women get yearly pap smears and mammos they do not often associate themselves as having risk for heart disease and stroke. Women work hard and in many cases manage the household and family affairs while holding down a fulltime job. WE ARE AT RISK. When I saw this video I guiltily acknowleged that I have cooked dinner, and thrown laundry in the washer while making business calls. I realized that I, like the woman in the video might consider delaying a call for myself to 911 for because I wouldn't want the EMT''s to think I am sloppy. (Heaven forbid!) I know this because I straighten the house before going out in case we get robbed. ( ??? ) I know.
Check out Elizabeth Banks, director and star of “Just a Little Heart Attack,” a new short film from Go Red For Women. The little film is about a supermom who takes care of everyone but herself, and learns the lesson that she better look at herself as well. Just a Little Heart Attack http://www.goredforwomen.org/?popup=little-heart-attack
Sign up with the Americna Heart Association for newsletters and a free Red Dress Pin to wear every year on National GO RED DAY by opening this link. https://www.goredforwomen.org/registration.aspx
Heart disease can affect women of any age. That’s why it’s so important to make healthy lifestyle choices to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Learn how to reduce your risk for heart disease http://www.goredforwomen.org/ReduceYourRisk/index.aspx
 Excerpt from "Get Fit To Go- Motivation to Exercise and be Healthy!" Unltd. Publishing LLC, Fit To Go H&F Copyright 2010 May not be reprinted without the author's permission. Feel free to try it though!
Staying motivated is the biggest challenge
"Every New Year’s Eve folks gather together to reflect on their lives and proclaim to make changes for the better. In between bites of cheesecake we ease our guilt with a firm promise that in the New Year we will lose weight and exercise once and for all. While the champagne is still bubbling, we look ahead to thinner, healthier days. More often than not, our good intentions are swept away in the morning with the confetti.
Have faith. Next year can be the year of your success. Starting now.
The key to getting fit is sticking with an exercise program year round. Do what you can, whenever you can, for the good of your health. Knowing that you can prevent a variety of diseases caused by a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle is a strong incentive to exercise. "
Tips:
Make small changes each day.
Change habits one at a tim.:
Use extra virgin olive oil and vinegar or lemon instead of creamy salad dressings.
Use jam on your bagels and toast instead of butter or cream cheese.
Eat whole grain breads instead of bread made with refined flour.
Eat lots of fruit and vegetables each day.
Use skim milk insteqad of whole milk
Get out for a walk as often as possible.
Drink lots of water.
Eliminate or limit soda.
Avoid sugar as often as possible.
 As I watched a group of children play I cringed as one of them coughed a very productive cough into her hand. She quickly resumed playing with the rest of the gang. On one hand it was a good thing that she returned to play- it meant she felt well enough to be active. On the other hand, upon returning home, in typical 'General' Mom fashion, I ordered my own child to the sink for a good hand scrubbing.
Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs! Get the word out! When we cough or sneeze into our hands every surface and person we touch with our hands come in contact with our germs. Handwashing reduces the risk of diseases being transmitted in this manner.
Let's all aim for a healthy winter. Regular exercise and a nutritious diet rich in fruits and vegetables are immune system boosters. Here are some other natural ways to prevent colds and flu:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, or an alcohol based hand rub- especially after you cough or sneeze.
- Don’t cover your coughs and sneezes with your hands- use a tissue and dispose of it immediately, or cough or sneeze into your elbow.
- Don’t touch your face- cold and flu viruses enter through the eyes, nose and mouth.
- Drink lots of fluids- water flushes your system, washing out the toxins as it rehydrates you. A typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- While sick limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
- Try to stay home if you are sick until at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever, without the use of fever reducing medication.
Is your waistband feeling a bit tight after Thanksgiving? Feeling a little heavier and sluggish? This week you may want to plan to add a few extra minutes to your cardio workouts and some extra sets to your weight training regimen. I know I took in a little (ok, a lot) more fuel than my body needs- blame it on the coconut pie (why blame myself?)- and now I must put in some extra exercise to burn additional calories. Or, I can get disgusted witho myself when alll of my favorite winter clothes are suffocating me. (I've been good at that.) Best approach? I say work it off now before the 2-3 pounds from last week turns into 6-8 pounds by New Years.
If you are already in a workout routine kick it up a notch and get the most out of your time at exercise classs or the gym. If you are not engaging in regular exercise, this is a great time to start- a time when weight gain may be inevitable with holiday parties, or extra glasses of vino with good friends is starting up in full swing. Make a commitment to exercise when you can, and if you miss a few sessions, jump right back into it.
Thirty minutes a day 3 times a week is enough to bring on changes. Do more when you can. You may just get hooked!
Start today by going for a walk. Walk ten minutes in one direction and then walk back. There! Twenty minutes. Done. The more you do, the more you can do!
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