Think Outside the Box

Have you ever had one of those "Aha!" moments, when the solution to a seemingly impossible situation just comes to you, or suddenly you see the situation in a whole new way?

So often, we can get stuck in a rut when it comes to problems. We may fixate on one solution, trying to make it work time and again, rather than moving on to another approach. Thinking outside the box can help you break out of a pattern that isn't working.

For example, let's say eating fast food too often is a problem. After thinking it over, you realize that it's not a love of fast food that does you in. It's that as you drive home from work, you often are so hungry that when you see that fast-food restaurant's sign, you stop and buy dinner there — even though you have a healthier option waiting at home.

After brainstorming a list of possible solutions to this problem, you decide to try having a healthy snack before you leave work and then driving a new route home that doesn't pass that fast-food restaurant. Suddenly, your old strategy — to rely on willpower alone to bypass the drive-through — isn't needed anymore.

After a few weeks, you look back and see that thinking outside the box worked. Instead of stopping for fast food, you're avoiding getting too hungry, taking the new route home, and eating a healthy dinner. Well done!

This week, spend some time thinking about some of the old problems standing in your way of success. Try looking at them in a new light. Is there another way to approach them? Give it a try.

Dive Into Aqua Fitness

Do you wish you could find a workout routine that could provide you with a total body workout without making you break a sweat? Maybe it's time to get into the swim of things!

Water aerobics and other aqua fitness programs are a good fit for people who don't like to exercise, haven't exercised in a while, or who have health problems like arthritis or back pain. The buoyancy of the water offsets the pull of gravity, making you feel lighter. Water also provides some resistance (as you know if you've ever tried walking in water) without putting a lot of strain on your joints. Water workouts cover all the bases at once: cardio, strength training, and flexibility. And like any other form or cardio exercise, they can help you burn excess body fat.

Perhaps the best part is that even though you're getting a strenuous workout, your body doesn't feel like the workout is strenuous. Odds are, you will leave the pool feeling refreshed — not exhausted. Plus, you are much less likely to experience pain or an injury than with land-based exercises.

When choosing a water fitness class, look for one that provides a good warm-up, followed by cardiovascular and strength-building sessions, and then a gradual cool-down focusing on flexibility. Ask your instructor about his or her background — the instructor should be certified in water fitness. If you have arthritis, make sure the pool is kept at a temperature between 83 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. In that range, the water will help warm up your muscles without overheating you.

Sound like a good workout for you? Check out the options at your local community pool, YWCA, or gym — and dive in!

Resisting Food Advertising

Have you ever noticed that the foods advertised the most heavily also tend to have the highest calorie counts and lowest nutritional value? Promoting junk food and fast food is big business. Companies spend millions of dollars a year in an attempt to get you to choose their burger or chip over another brand. These highly advertised foods are plentiful, easy to get, inexpensive, and engineered to taste good.

Ironically, there is little advertising promoting the foods we should be eating — like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and beans and legumes. Bombarded with powerful advertising images saying that nutritionally poor foods are best, it's no wonder we're reaching for the wrong foods! Some have compared the effort of trying to eat healthy in modern society with trying to be a recovered alcoholic in a town with a bar on every block.

How can you maintain a healthy weight in spite of the pressure to eat unhealthy foods? Try these tips:

Get the info. After you see an ad that makes junk food look tempting, boot up your computer, check out the manufacturer's Web site, and find the nutrition information for that food. When you see that the food is packed with calories, fat, or sodium, it probably won't seem so appealing.

Empower yourself to make healthier choices. We've all been in a situation where we need to eat and the only options for miles around aren't particularly healthy ones. If you find yourself with nowhere to go but a fast-food restaurant or convenience store, you need to know which choices are better than others. Reach for fresh foods like salads and sandwiches with lean meat and vegetables. Hold the dressing, mayo, and other high-calorie toppings, or have them on the side so you can easily control them.

At the grocery store, stick to the perimeter. Most heavily advertised, processed snack foods live in the inner aisles of the grocery store. To avoid temptation, skip those aisles altogether (or just pop in to retrieve healthy items on your shopping list). The perimeter aisles, which typically house fresh foods, are where you want to be.

Question the ads. Would you be as tempted to eat that cheeseburger if it were promoted by an overweight and out-of-shape model (which would be more realistic) rather than the thin, fit, happy-looking one taking a bite? Is the food really the best choice for you and your waistline? Do you really "need" it? Probably not!

Dress to Impress With These 4 Tricks

Have you ever heard the expression, "Fake it 'til you make it"? It's great advice to follow if you aren't feeling confident. When you're not feeling your best, try to look as though you are. Dress in a great outfit, take time with your hair and makeup, or pay attention to good grooming — or all three. Look your best and soon your insides will catch up with your outsides. It's true — you'll be on your way to a happier and more confident you!

Dressing with confidence can take years off your looks, regardless of your size. And the time to start dressing that way is right now — not when you reach your goal weight! Try these tips on how to dress to impress:

• Get fit. Think baggy, loose-fitting clothes hide the extra pounds? Wrong — they actually bulk up your frame! Don't be afraid to wear clothing that skims your curves — just don't go skin tight!
• Pick color. The key to getting a "Wow!" out of an outfit is color. Choose the right hue for you and you'll hear, "That looks great on you!" every time. Talk about a confidence booster!
• Accessorize. What's in your jewelry box? It doesn't have to be expensive, but it should have style. Remember, accessories can make (and sometimes break) an outfit. So choose your jewelry — and shoes and bag — as carefully as your clothes. Including those special pieces in an outfit can really make you feel great!
• Finish the look. The details finish the look — a flattering haircut, clean nails, well-cared-for skin, and tasteful makeup all send the message that you've got it together. Don't skip these small but important details!

Go on, fake it until you make it! Put your best foot forward — you're so worth it!

When Life Throws You a Curveball

Even if you're not a baseball fan, you know a curveball is a tricky pitch: It doesn't follow the path you expect, it can surprise you by arriving when you're not ready for it, and if you're not careful, it can leave you with a painful bruise. That's why we refer to unexpected developments in life as curveballs.

Change can be an unsettling experience. And yet, it's been said that the one thing you can count on in life is change. Life's curveballs often force you into situations you wouldn't have chosen otherwise. However, if you look at change as an opportunity rather than an obstacle, you can harness the opportunity to change and guide it to your advantage.

The key is to use problem-solving skills when you're coping with unexpected change. Identify the problems that the change presents, come up with a plan for dealing with them, and then try the plan out and adapt it as necessary. In addition, try these tips:

• Look at the big picture. This can help you gain perspective on how the change fits into your life. It's the whole game that counts, not a single inning.
• Stay on base. Turn to the constants in your life — your values, beliefs, and passions — as a way to offset the discomfort the unknowns of change can bring.
• Be realistic. Expect that there will be some difficulties along the path of change and that things may not happen as quickly or as easily as you want.
• Take care of yourself. Get plenty of rest and exercise, and eat a balanced diet. Avoid self-destructive coping techniques like binge eating, drinking too much, or burning the candle at both ends. They'll just leave you less able to cope with the stress of change.
• Ask for help. If the change is too confusing or overwhelming to cope with on your own, ask for help in facing the challenge from others.

Take some time this week to think about how you've handled change in your life in the past and what you'd like to do differently going forward. Are there changes in your life you are fighting now? Write in your journal about what they are and how they could be good for you. Soon, life's curveballs won't throw you for such a loop.

Easy Ways to Get Flaxseed into Your Diet!

You've probably heard people talking about how flaxseed can be a good addition to a healthy diet. Before you head out to the health food store, here's some info on this little seed and its potentially big health benefits!

Flaxseed can be taken in a number of ways. You can buy it whole, crushed, or as a powder, and you can take it with either juice or water. And I'll bet you wouldn't even notice it if you added a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseed to a smoothie, yogurt, soup, or oatmeal! You can also add flaxseed oil to food if the powder or grainy consistency of the crushed seed bothers you. Flaxseed can add valuable soluble fiber to your diet, which can help lower cholesterol and move the fat from your meals out of your body. It also contains alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that may benefit people with heart disease, the way omega-3 fatty acids do.

The jury is still out on many other claims about flaxseed, including the possibility that it can help prevent certain cancers, ease menopause symptoms, and regulate ADHD. Stay tuned for more on this new dietary breakthrough!

It's Time to Examine Your Excuses!

Some people are able to take great ideas and turn them into inventions that can simplify our lives. They are problem solvers. Still other people specialize in inventing excuses that perpetuate problems that make their lives more complicated. Which kind of "inventor" are you?

Have you ever heard yourself say something like this: "I can't do Denise's workout, because I live in an apartment and the noise will bother my neighbors. I'll be able to do it when I live in a house"? Or "I can't make a healthy meal for myself, because my kids won't eat it and I can't afford to buy two kinds of food"?

If these sound like things you might say, take a moment and rethink your attitude. Examine the excuses you've come up with that are preventing you from dieting and exercising — if you heard someone else say them, wouldn't you think they sounded ridiculous?

Put your brainpower into solving problems — not living with them! For example, get your kids excited about a brand-new recipe that's yummy — but that's also nutritious and low in fat. Or take your workout outside — maybe go for a run or take a brisk walk — or meet a friend at her place to work out to an exercise video.

Start thinking like the right kind of inventor! You'll be glad you did.