Once again, I need to apologize about the length of time between posts.

I want to address the issue of eating healthy. Eating healthy foods in proper amounts is a cornerstone of health and wellness, and with the economy the way it is, it seems like a lot of people are having more troubles achieving a balanced healthy diet. It is an unfortunate fact that the fruits and vegetables that we should base our diet on are generally overpriced and do not store long. But are well worth it in the whole scheme of things when you consider the health issues that come up when fruits and vegetables are not in your diet.

Eating healthy involves keeping several things in mind when choosing what to eat. Being mindful of how processed a food is (in general the more processed something is the less wholesome it becomes), what the nutrients are (remember, keep it balanced), how many calories and portion control, along with where the food came from (traveling time impacts amount of nutrients and the soil the food is grown in also determines the amount of nutrients) are all important.

The internet is full of information so I will provide some links for you,
www.mypyramid.gov
lots of good information to start with here- you can personalize one for everybody in your family- keep in mind though that according to some nutritionists you do not need as much dairy and meat that may be suggested for you.

http://video.about.com/nutrition/Food-Portion-Control.htm
A nice little video to give some quick pointers

This is just a beginning. There will be more to come.

Manage your Stress!!

So the very, very first thing to learn how to do is to learn how to manage stress!!

I have repeatedly read in research articles, books and reports from doctors that about 80 percent of all medical problems are caused by stress.

If you are stressed you tend to not eat well and tend to not feel like exercising. There are fundamental changes that take place in your body as stress reactions. It is important to figure out what works for you and what does not.

You only need to do a Google search on stress management and you will find many resources to help you figure out what works for you. You can also do a guided meditation or stress management search on YouTube. The important thing is to find something that works for you and and use it.

Funny enough proper diet and exercise also play a big role in stress management. Remember to breathe and take walks, as well as eat fruits, whole grains and veggies.

Trinity of Health and Wellness

Hello my devoted readers, I apologize about the lack of posts lately, I do intend to post more frequently. My job search has become more difficult and has demanded more research and search time and more time writing targeted resumes and cover letters.

So I think the best way to begin this blog is to look into the basics of health and wellness. These basics include proper diet, exercise and stress management. I will address each of these individually in a post as there is a lot of information to know and understand.

It is important to be mindful and knowledgeable of all three of these factors when making an effort to be healthy and well, as they all work together to achieve overall health and wellness. think of each one of them as a support corner of a triangle, take one away and and you no longer have the trinity, you have an ineffective pair.

What the *&%! is a Health Educator?

I have received feedback from several people wondering what exactly does a health educator do. Or more precisely what is it that you are qualified to do?
Well there is not a simple answer to that question. But I did find a decent explanation- it is a little long, but there is a lot involved in being a health educator, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos063.htm this page sums it up better than I can. "Health educators work to encourage healthy lifestyles and wellness through educating individuals and communities about behaviors that promote healthy living and prevent diseases and other health problems. " quoted from the above link.
Hope this explanation helps- I, of course will be promoting the little known and understood field of Health Education because I am convinced that Health Educators certified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing http://www.nchec.org are uniquely qualified to provide information and programs to encourage health and wellness.
A Health Educator does not need to be an RN!!. Health Educators and Nurses are part of two very different professions with very different skill and knowledge bases. I will stop there, it is a sore subject of mine.

My very first post

When I was trying to figure out how to blog I read somewhere that you are supposed to write your first post about why you are blogging and what it will be about.
This is an attempt to do that, I am blogging for a couple reasons, one reason is an effort to stay sane while I am searching for work in this horrible job market. Another reason is to simplify often complicated and confusing information so it can be used by everybody to achieve health and wellness in their lives, I have found over the years that sometimes eating right and staying healthy can be challenging if you don't understand what you are supposed to be doing.
I would like to invite questions on health and wellness, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability and as quickly as possible.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to getting information "out there".