Why You Need Fats in Your Diet
Currently I am in the process of a life changing accountability program to get myself into a healthier state. The main thing I need to battle is my weight AND what being overweight (actually obese) will do to me long term. 6 weeks in I am down 7-8 pounds. But the program isn’t just about weight. Rather it is about making better decisions day by day and hour by hour and minute by minute.
For me in the past I have done programs and lost weight, but then failed and started to go back into previous habits. That said, I am really embracing the concept of an accountability partner or team and my team consists of faith and friends. The faith keeps me present in the “second by second” oversight of my behavior and personal accountability to someone [God] who I can’t fool, and the friends are there to listen, inspire and challenge me to stay on track. It has been a really rewarding experience and I am feeling the benefits everyday as I move to being healthier today, and healthier long term so that I will be present when my kids grow up and hopefully allow me to experience what it is like to experience a grandfather’s love :). Thank you RoseAnne and Rebecca for all the help!
Now, diet is important, but I am not doing anything special other than making sure I eat less of the bad stuff, and more of the good stuff and control portions better. I found this article on Ebony.com that illustrates some of the changes that we are now making in the argument of fats or carbs, etc. Nutrition research seems to change daily, but I remember when we said - low fat diets are what you need to do, then low sugar, then no carb…but the key that we need to get back to is what kind of diet will be right for us to be our healthiest selves.
This article is worth a read if you are curious about the place of fats in our diets OR if you want to understand what fats are acceptable / good for our health.
Training for Your Staff
What kind of training should you give your staff? Jane Gios on Forbes Coaches Council, addresses what many employers ask daily - what kind of training will actually make a difference for my staff? She calls out great types of training that could be considered by employers and some of the outcomes you might expect by using some of these methods.
If you are running a business and/or have staff that report into you, AND you are trying to change some sort of culture issue or technical issue in your business, this is a good read. It will help you put some perspective on what is “training” and what things you should be asking of those who are approaching you with solutions. Want to drive sales? What will work. Want to inspire new behaviors to be more customer centric? This post will hopefully help you get a quick handle on the landscape, but then when you are ready to define what you want to do, make sure you work with someone who will want you to accomplish your goal rather than help you open up more opportunities for training ;)
Worried About Dementia Later in Life?
If you are worried about Dementia, you’re not the only one. Apparently half of middle aged Americans believe they will develop some form of dementia. There are lots of contributing factors to this including our knowledge that we are living longer and that we live in ways that conflict with healthy brains over time (diet and exercise are major influencers on brain health).
But it is important to note that this belief is not really based in fact based on actual dementia diagnosis rates and more. We worry about this, but often aren’t discussing it with our healthcare providers. Here’s a quote from the article by Lisa Rapaport, ““While managing chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, could reduce dementia risk, few respondents appear to have discussed this with their physician,” the study team writes. “Physicians should emphasize current evidence-based strategies of managing lifestyle and chronic medical conditions to reduce the risk of dementia.””
Next time you are in your doctor’s office, please talk with them about your long term fears as much as the conditions that you went to the doctor to address. And then, think about what you will need to do in order to give yourself an even better chance at avoiding some of the complications associated with lifestyle. Plus, don’t underestimate the power of attention as more and more people are working to find cures and medications to help delay the onset of dementia. Years ago, leukemia was a death sentence. Today it is largely treatable or curable. When we focus attention on certain things, we can do amazing things.
