Core Values Compass

Have you ever really done an inventory of your core values? If not, there’s no time like the present. It’s important to truly acquaint yourself with your core values. Being especially familiar with your guiding principles is a way to avoid loneliness and dysfunctional acting out such as excessive eating and drinking. You may wonder why that might be the case. How can knowing your core values keep you from overeating and feeling isolated?

Our core values act as a compass, directing us to make decisions that are in alignment with our heart and spirit. When we live in a way that is incongruent with our fundamental values, it creates negative emotions such as shame, anxiety, and fear. Shame often has us feeling we don’t belong or won’t be accepted. Shame is the home where loneliness likes to dwell. Anxiety and fear are not emotions we like to marinate in for too long -- food and alcohol are ready numbing agents we frequently seek out when experiencing those emotions.

Instincts are the sensors that let us know if we are making decisions that reflect our core values. When we have clear insight with regard to our guiding principles then it’s easier to follow our instincts. Following our instincts always leads us to better decision making.

So what are your core values? If you are unclear, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I believe in?


• What really matters to me?


• What values help govern how I live my life?


• What values do I want to pass on to my children?

Core values can include personal traits such as being honest, having a strong work ethic, being fair, or being loyal. They can also include priorities such as family first, being of service to the community, pursuit of education or religious/spiritual beliefs.

Once you’ve sat down and really reflected on your core values, then take a look at your lifestyle and how you spend your time. How well does your life reflect your core values? If you discover some incongruences or contradictions, then most likely those are the places in your life where healthy living is compromised. When we live in alignment with our values, we live a healthier life.

Below is a link to a Core Value Worksheet:

http://www.ripon.edu/academics/special_programs/ethical_leadership/Students/documents/core-values-worksheet.pdf

 

Life: In the blink of an eye

As someone who tries to be conscious of my eating and lifestyle habits, I often think about how the little things can lead to big change. Putting that same thought process on the concept of life, however, had me thinking. When was the last time you sat down to think about how one small action can vastly impact your life or someone else's? Check out this infographic from Medical Billing and Coding. Not only did it make me want to be more mindful of all my actions but it also made me thoughfully reflect on my priorities.


Via: MedicalBillingAndCoding.org

Emotionally Intelligent Signage

Recently, I watched this “pecha kucha” presentation from Daniel Pink , author of DRIVE: The surprising truth about what motivates us.  Ever since, I have been a huge fan of his archive on “Emotionally Intelligent Signage”.  After seeing some of the examples and how effective they’ve been I realized that this could be a valuable tool in helping people change health habits.  In fact, it might be why the FDA has recently made their cigarette health warnings so graphic.

I decided to try this myself.  I’ve been struggling to drink enough water.  My day consists of very little time spent near my desk where the bottle resides. Therefore, I needed some type of “emotional” trigger that would force me to desperately reach for those 32 ounces of afternoon delight.  First, I had to decide what the message would be.  I knew that I needed to drink more water because it had been affecting my workouts.  I was feeling lightheaded and a bit dizzy after a taxing bout of exercise.  So, I create a reminder that would appear on my cell phone and computer every hour, “I know I’m busy, but drinking water is important to me.”   The message expressed empathy and contained an affirmation.

It has been working like a charm.  In the past two weeks I’ve consumed by 64 ounces of water per day!  What could be an “Emotionally Intelligent Message” that you use to trigger a health habit?

How to make work-life balance work

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for months, but to be completely honest “work has gotten in the way.”  In February I watched this TED video by Nigel Marsh author of “Fat, Forty and Fired” and “Overworked and Underlaid.”



 

I meet individually each week with about half a dozen new guests who describe to me the obstacles they’ll face when they return home.  Empirically speaking, I’d figure that nine out of ten attribute their health problems to the long unbalanced hours they spend in the workplace.  Most assert that their lives are totally dominated by work.  Yet many believe the solution is simply to find time outside of work hours to exercise.  As Nigel describes, “being a fit ten hour a day office rat isn’t being more balanced.  It’s being more fit.”  Work-Life balance is a healthy combination of intellectual, emotional, spiritual, social and physical wellbeing.

 

Tips for a Healthy Cubicle

Over and over I hear from the Guests here at H3, ‘I bet it’s easy to stay on track when you get to work at a place like this’ or ‘I bet it would be easy to stay in shape if I worked here’.  Well, for the most part, that’s true.

I had the privilege of spending the last 16 weeks of my college career as a Program Intern here at H3.  For those 16 weeks, I was immersed in the healthy lifestyle, eating the meals, teaching classes, attending classes and interacting with Guests.  It was a part of my life that I will never forget, and still apply what I learned from that experience into my job now.

Now, instead of leading a treading class or beach walk, I sit at a desk in an office for most of the day.  I love what I do; I get to spread the word of what a great place and program we have here at H3 with those who are looking to make the changes, as well as keep alum of H3 connected!

Unfortunately, the environment of the program is not as present, and you can find it a bit easier to slip out of your healthier habits.  So, I try to keep in mind the things I created as habits in my lifestyle four years ago during my program internship, and apply them to my now desk – life.

Here are a few tips that work well for me:

-  If you can, sneak in a workout first thing in the morning.  After a long day of work, with errands and commitments looming, an afternoon sweat session is usually the first to go.  Luckily, I am very close to a gym, so I can roll out of bed and be there in less than 5 minutes.  If you aren’t, try walking or jogging near your house or even try out an exercise video.  Promise yourself 30 minutes in the morning to get in your cardio or strength training.

- Invest in a large water bottle.  If you don’t have a water fountain near, a large water bottle is a necessity.  Keep it on your desk so that you are sure to get in enough water during the day.  Drink water instead of hitting up the soda machine!  It will also help you feel full, keeping ‘boredom’ hunger at bay.

- Stock your desk with healthy snacks.  The number one thing I took from H3 is to eat a Metabo Meal – a healthy snack in between meals.  Every few days or so, I visit the nearest grocery and grab a few apples, oranges, low fat cheese sticks, nut & dried fruit mix, carrot sticks and hummus to keep handy.  It’s when I am not prepared, do I go wandering for other (unwise) snacks…

- Try to limit my lunches out.  I am fortunate again to work very close to home, so I try to eat at home most days of the week.  If I know I am going to have a busy day, I try to wake up and pack a quick lunch – whole grain PB & J, fruit, and a few crackers.  In our office, we plan a ‘payday’ lunch – make a lunch date for every other Friday J  That way eating out is a treat, not an everyday affair.

- Walk around as much as possible.  Instead of emailing or using the phone, I walk to another’s office with questions.  Not only does it usually get done quicker, it gets me up and moving from my desk.  If you bring your lunch, you can also spend 15 – 20 minutes on a quick walk.

- Be prepared.  This is the most important part of making any healthy lifestyle plan work.  At first it may take a little more time planning, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature.  I try to pack my gym clothes (if I missed the morning workout) so I can head straight to the gym without having to stop at home first.  And as mentioned before, I pack my lunch, water bottle and snacks so I can make the ‘best’ food choices.

These are just a few things I have learned while in the working world, but they help make living a healthy lifestyle much easier for me.  Hopefully you can take from them and apply them to your routine.

If you work in an office, do you have any other tips to stay on track?

Heart Health Month – Cholesterol 101

Earlier this month, I gave you a post on 7 resolutions to adopt in order to keep your heart healthy.  Throughout the next month, I will give you a deeper look at each of these steps, so that you can take the necessary steps to keeping your heart in tip top shape.

 

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a normal part of your system; you actually need a certain amount to produce cell membranes and other hormones, as well as other bodily functions.  However, if you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream – you put yourself at risk for heart attack and stroke. 

Cholesterol comes from your body as well as the food you eat.  There is the HDL and LDL, which are the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterols respectively, as well as triglycerides which make up your total cholesterol.  You can determine these numbers through a blood lipid profile test.

 

LDL “Bad” Cholesterol – This type of cholesterol, otherwise known as LDL (low-density lipoprotein), is what can slowly build up on the artery walls and form plaque.  Plaque on the artery walls causes the arteries to become narrow and inflexible, which can cause atherosclerosis.  Once your arteries have started this transition, it is easy for blood to clog and cause a heart attack or stroke. 

LDL Cholesterol is elevated by diets high in saturated and trans fats. 

 

HDL “Good” Cholesterol – HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, is known as the good cholesterol because having higher levels of HDL seems to protect you from a heart attack.  According the American Heart Association, HDL cholesterol carries away the LDL from the body while also helping clear the artery walls of plaque.  Here at H3, we like to look at the LDL to HDL Ratio.

Your lifestyle has the single greatest impact on your HDL cholesterol. Even small changes to your daily habits can help you meet your HDL target.

 

Triglycerides – Triglycerides are also produced in the body, but is a type of fat.  High triglycerides are caused by overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption and a diet very high in carbohydrates (60 percent of total calories or more). People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol level, including a high LDL (bad) level and a low HDL (good) level.

 

Why are these important?

High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke.  It’s important for everyone to know their cholesterol level.  Although cholesterol is genetic, it can be managed through healthy lifestyle habits.  Also, any body type is susceptible to high cholesterol.

Here at H3, each Guest is given a blood lipid profile test prior to beginning the program.

 

Now that I know my numbers, how do I know if they are good or bad?

Total blood cholesterol is the most common measurement of blood cholesterol. A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or higher puts you in a high-risk category and is cause to take action. 

Here’s a chart like the one you would see here at H3.

	Normal Risk Level	High Risk Level
Total Cholesterol	< 200	> 240
Triglycerides	< 150	200 +
HDL Cholesterol	>  40 for men > 50 for women	< 40
LDL Cholesterol	< 100 < 70 (previous heart attack)	> 160 > 130 (CVD or Diabetes)
Total to HDL Ratio	< 4.5 for men < 3.5 for women
LDL to HDL Ratio	< 3 for men < 2.5 for women

 

This should give you a good guideline of where you should fall.  If you have any questions, please contact your physician.

 

What can I do to manage my cholesterol levels?

As mentioned above, there are steps you can take to manage your cholesterol levels through lifestyle choices.  It is recommended that you eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fat and free of trans fat, maintain a healthy weight, and stay physically active.

We see great success every week with those who have lowered these numbers dramatically through changing their diet and exercise habits for just a week at a time.  This is a powerful testimony for living a healthy lifestyle and its immediate impact on your overall wellness.

 

 

Source: American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org