Here’s something to think about from the introduction in Walter Willett’s book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating:
“By making the right choices, you will help yourself avoid some of the things we think of as the inevitable penalties of getting older. A healthy diet teamed with regular exercise and [...]
Chew on This
November 19th, 2008 — , Prevention, chronic disease prevention, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, healthy lifestyle changes from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Highlights of School Nutrition Report
November 18th, 2008 — , Kids, education, healthy eating, healthy habits, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
I was cruising around the CDC’s website and found a report showing how schools are decreasing the availability of junk food to students.
Here are some highlights from The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2006, done by the CDC and published in the October 2007 issue of the Journal of School Health:
– Schools selling [...]
Related StoresSuccess is a Choice
November 17th, 2008 — , Behavior Change, Life, healthy lifestyle, mental health, success from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
It’s Monday. Time for some motivation. The following is a quote from Rick Pitino, currently the head coach for the Louisville men’s basketball team.
Coach Pitino has been a successful college coach and is the only coach to lead three different schools to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky, Louisville).
“If you look closely at all great organizations, [...]
Some Stuff For You To Read
November 14th, 2008 — , Shout Outs, healthy lifestyle, links, shout out from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Here are some great posts from around the web I enjoyed this week. Hope you enjoy them as well!
Trying to eat a little better? Learn about Smarter Snacking for You and the Kids.
How do you overcome challenges in life? Check out Are You Planning for the Fog?
Olympic swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale shows us how he finds Motivation in Unique [...]
Quick Thought on Exercise
November 13th, 2008 — , Exercise, exercise is medicine, heart health from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
“As the number of people affected by heart failure is expected to rise with the aging U.S. population, it is promising to know that regular aerobic activity can not only help patients extend their lives, but exercise can also positively impact their everyday activities and outlook.”
From Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [...]
How do You Teach Kids to be Healthy?
November 12th, 2008 — , Kids, Prevention, healthy eating, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, physical activity from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Research has shown that overweight/obese children as young as 10 can have the same blockage of arteries as 45-year-olds. What’s the cause? The same thing that usually causes blockage in adults –an unhealthy lifestyle.
“The time has come to seriously deal with the issue of childhood obesity and physical inactivity on a governmental and parental level.”
Source [...]
Get Faster. Go Longer.
November 11th, 2008 — , Exercise, healthy lifestyle, physical activity, triathlon from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
59 minutes, 59 seconds. 2 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds. Those times may not mean anything to anyone else, but to me, they do. Those are my goal times for sprint and olympic-distance triathlons for next year.
A little ambitious? I hope so. I’m aiming high. My best time for a sprint tri is 1 hour [...]
The Incredible Edible Egg
November 10th, 2008 — , eggs, healthy eating, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
I saw this commercial on TV for eggs and thought it was pretty good. I like triathlons and I like eggs, so this was perfect (go here if you can’t see the video):
Read more about my thoughts on eggs in The Power of Eggs.
Related StoresGood Stuff I Read This Week
November 7th, 2008 — , Shout Outs, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, links from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
I read a lot of great posts around the web this week and here are some of my favorites:
Health habits asks Does Your Diet Make Your Skin Look OLD?
James Hubbard’s My Family Doctor Magazine gives us the scoop on Autism and how it relates to rainy areas.
A Life Less Sweet informs us of another Surprising [...]
Good Food
November 6th, 2008 — , Food, food preparation, healthy food, healthy lifestyle, nutrition, sweet potato fries, vegetables from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Wanted to share my dinner last night. I made grilled lemon chicken, sweet potatoes, and whole wheat pasta with pesto sauce and broccoli. It was good. Well worth the short time spent making it. Wife loved it too.
Related StoresChange YOU Can Believe In
November 5th, 2008 — , Behavior Change, Health, healthy lifestyle, healthy lifestyle changes from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Change. That’s a word we’ve all heard thrown around lately. We (America) elected who we thought would be the best choice to lead our great country and we also were able to cast our votes for our local leaders.
Good. We did our part for our country and we will continue to do so. But what [...]
Kids Learn Good Nutrition From Parents
November 4th, 2008 — , Kids, healthy diet, healthy eating, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
A study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that children as young as 2-years-old mimic their parents’ food choices.
Some excerpts from a news article describing the study:
“The data suggest that children begin to assimilate and mimic their parents’ food choices at a very young age, even before they are able to fully [...]
Will You Live to 100?
November 3rd, 2008 — , Exercise, Prevention, healthy lifestyle from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
I was cruising around on CNN.com this morning and I found a video about a study that shows how running can help you live longer and healthier. Here it is:
(Can’t see video? Go here).
I think this is an interesting study that has good news: Exercise is good for us.
One thing that caught my attention from [...]
Happy Halloween and Other Good Reads
October 31st, 2008 — , Exercise, Shout Outs, halloween, links, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. My wife is dressing up as a pro golfer and I am dressing up as her caddy. Funny thing is she’s not a golfer at all. Should be fun.
Here are some good posts I read this week. Enjoy.
Visit CalorieLab to find out about Halloween Candy Contents.
Live [...]
How I Make a Good Omelette
October 30th, 2008 — , eggs, healthy diet, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
So this morning I realized when I was about to eat breakfast that I was out of milk and cereal. Luckily I had a backup plan –an easy-to-make, tasty omelette.
Clearly I’m no expert chef, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. My wife loves that about me! So here’s how I made my [...]
Exercise is Medicine
October 29th, 2008 — , Exercise, Prevention, chronic disease prevention, exercise is medicine from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Yesterday I read a post called Exercise is Good Medicine from Carole Carson’s blog. She talks about the “Exercise is Medicine” campaign which calls on doctors to “assess and review every patient’s physical activity program at every visit.”
I hadn’t heard about the Exercise is Medicine movement but I was excited to learn about it. It [...]
An Artificial Heart
October 28th, 2008 — , Prevention, Science, healthy lifestyle, heart health from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
The leading cardiac surgeon in France has developed an artificial heart that beats almost exactly like a real heart. The “Smart Heart” uses sensors to regulate heart rate and blood flow. The new heart was described:
“If you show the graphs to a cardiac surgeon he will say it’s a human heart. But no, it’s not [...]
Related StoresIt Will Always be About Lifestyle
October 26th, 2008 — , Prevention, healthy, healthy lifestyle from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Here’s a nice Sunday thought from Steven G. Aldana’s The Culprit and the Cure: Why Lifestyle is the culprit behind America’s poor health and how transforming that lifestyle can be the cure. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it. He says:
(Can’t see the text? Click here).
Remember. It’s about lifestyle.
Shawn Johnson Encourages Kids to Get Active
October 23rd, 2008 — , Exercise, Kids, healthy, physical activity from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Today I found this video that I hadn’t seen before. Thought it was worth sharing. Shawn Johnson encourages kids to get/stay active by doing things they love. Check it out:
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Continue reading → Shawn Johnson Encourages Kids to Get Active
Do What You Love
October 22nd, 2008 — , Exercise, healthy lifestyle from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Another guest post from my wife Emily while I am away.
So, I love swimming. It is one of my favorite forms of exercise. I was a member of my high school swim team and I love the refreshing feeling after working out in the pool. Plus, it is something I can do to stay active [...]
A Healthy Lifestyle –With or Without IBS
October 21st, 2008 — , Exercise, IBS, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
I’ll be away for the next couple of days and my wife Emily will be posting while I’m gone. She works full-time, is pregnant with our first, and still tries to find time to live a healthy lifestyle. She’s awesome.
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is seen [...]
Aerobic Exercise and Your Brain
October 20th, 2008 — , Aerobic exercise, Exercise, brain, mental health from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
In the latest British Journal of Sports Medicine, Drs. Arthur F. Kramer and Kirk I. Erickson report that regular aerobic exercise can help reverse mental decline (Source here).
As part of their research, Kramer and Erickson conducted a 6-month study where adults aged 60-75 walked briskly for 45 minutes a day 3 days a week. [...]
5K for Nie Nie
October 18th, 2008 — , Shout Outs, nie nie from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
This morning I was able to participate in a 5K for Stephanie and Christian Nielson and their recovery fund. The Nielsons were in a plane crash on August 16th, 2008 along with Christian’s flight instructor, Doug Kinneard. Sadly, Doug Kinneard passed away soon after arriving at the hospital and Stephanie and Christian suffered severe burns [...]
Related StoresOptimism Better for Health?
October 17th, 2008 — , Prevention, healthy lifestyle, mental health, optimism from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
A series of studies done in the US and Europe show that optimism can have a positive impact on health and longevity. Here are some highlights of the different studies (read full article here):
For six months following coronary artery bypass surgery, optimistic patients were half as likely to require re-hospitalization.
Similar results were found for [...]
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October 15th, 2008 — , Behavior Change, healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, healthy lifestyle changes from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Creating healthy habits can be hard. In order to change our bad habits to good habits, we have to want to. We have to have the willpower and determination to do it.
Of course it is hard at first. But with time it gets easier and easier to stick with the healthy changes.
Everyday I [...]
My Little Girl
October 14th, 2008 — , Shout Outs, baby from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
My wife is pregnant with our first baby and today we had our 20-week ultrasound. We found out we are having a girl! We are excited and happy that our little girl is healthy and growing. Here are the first pics of our baby:
The profile shot. She’s a cutie.
There’s her head and her little [...]
Related StoresWanna Be Healthier? Goals and Plans can Help
October 13th, 2008 — , Behavior Change, food journal, goals, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, plans from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
So, you want to live a healthy lifestyle? I do too. I think one of the first steps to living healthy is creating a plan and setting goals.
Why plan? Because, at least for me, it keeps me going. When I have plans and goals for my health, I work harder to achieve them. It is [...]
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Continue reading → Wanna Be Healthier? Goals and Plans can Help
Roasted Asparagus and Sweet Potato Fries
October 11th, 2008 — , Asparagus, Sweet Potato, nutrition, sweet potato fries, vegetables from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Here’s part of what we had for dinner last night (sorry not a great pic –with my cell phone). Sweet potato fries and roasted asparagus. Click on the link for the sweet potato fries recipe that we use and here’s how we do the asparagus:
1. Rinse off asparagus and break off the ends.
2. Put on a [...]
Actions Speak Louder than Words
October 9th, 2008 — , Behavior Change, Body Image, Eating Disorders, eating disorder, healthy lifestyle, mental health from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Here are some interesting excerpts from an article written by a woman who struggled with eating disorders and body image issues throughout her adolescence. It’s titled What I Wish You Would Have Said from Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty:
“I wish people would have commented more about my heart, my kindness, and my ability to make [...]
How to Prevent High Blood Pressure
October 7th, 2008 — , Prevention, blood pressure, chronic disease prevention, high blood pressure from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
According to the American Heart Association, about 1 in 3 Americans has high blood pressure. Because there are no symptoms for high blood pressure, they also estimate that 1/3 of these people don’t know they have it.
The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked.
Research shows that [...]
I am Not a Perfect Eater
October 6th, 2008 — , healthy eating, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Why is it that people are more concerned with what I eat than what they eat? Is it because they think I am a health nut? Is it because it’s easier for them to watch what I eat rather than what they are eating?
Yesterday we were invited over to my in-laws for dinner. During the [...]
Lifestyle Change
October 4th, 2008 — , Health, Weight Control, healthy lifestyle changes, weight loss from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
I found a great article yesterday about a woman who lost 110 pounds so she could join the U.S. Army. When she first met the recruiter, he told her she would have to lose 100 pounds to join. She wanted to serve so she got to work on getting healthier. How?
Lifestyle.
She had to start [...]
Related StoresGuest Post and Quote
October 3rd, 2008 — , Behavior Change, Shout Outs, Weight Control, healthy lifestyle, quote, shout out from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Today I had the opportunity do a guest post at A Life Less Sweet. A Life Less Sweet is a great blog about a family’s journey as they strive to eat healthier. I love the site and it’s always full of great information. Check it out.
And now for the Quote of the Week:
“She didn’t diet; [...]
Obesity Epidemic?
October 1st, 2008 — , Prevention, Weight Control, healthy lifestyle, obesity from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Just in case you were wondering if obesity really is a growing problem in our country:
Percent of Obese (BMI >30) in U.S Adults in 1987
Percent of Obese (BMI >30) in U.S Adults in 2007
Source: CDC.
One word: Lifestyle.
Why does this matter?
“Obesity raises concern because of its implications for the health of Americans. Obesity increases the risk [...]
Related StoresGet Moving
September 30th, 2008 — , Exercise, physical activity from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
Today is a great day to get some physical activity. Get moving.
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September 29th, 2008 — , carbohydrate, carbs, healthy eating, healthy eating pyramid, nutrition from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
This morning I came across an article in the Health/Fitness section of msn.com where a reader asked why a lot of people, including nutritionists, promote reducing calories instead of reducing carbs for weight loss. The reader claimed that research has proven low-carb diets to be the best way to lose weight.
The fitness expert responding to [...]
Season Premiere of The Office
September 26th, 2008 — , Weight Control, fad diets, healthy lifestyle changes, weight loss from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
I’m a big fan of the TV show The Office. In last night’s season premiere, the office staff of Dunder Mifflin Scranton tries to win a weight loss contest developed by corporate. They compete against the other branches to see which branch can lose the most weight. The winning branch receives 5 extra days off.
What [...]
Exercise Can Make You Happy!
September 25th, 2008 — , Exercise, happiness, mental health, physical activity from Blake Hagen @ blakehagen.com
One more reason to get regular exercise:
Source here.
I love the feeling after a good workout. I feel like I accomplished something good for my body, even if it was just a quick workout.
Next time you don’t feel like getting your workout in, remember how good you will feel after. It’s worth it.