1. Hydrate. Approximately 65 percent water, our bodies require substantial replenishment of H2O to function properly.   Proper hydration flushes toxins, ensures proper digestive and body functions, curbs hunger and helps fight aging.   Opt to drink water (you can add lemon, cucumber or a splash of juice for flavor), unsweetened green tea or club soda.  To approximate how much your body needs, divide your weight (in pounds) by two.  The result equals the ounces of fluid you should drink each day. * This hydration formula doesn’t work for people who are obese.  As a result, if you are 50 – 100 percent above your ideal body weight, consult your physician on this subject.
2. Get Your Zzz’s. Adequate sleep is highly beneficial to your health as well as your waistline.  Those who get seven to eight hours of sleep each night tend to weigh less than individuals who are sleep deprived.  Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up the same time every morning.  Also, promote sound sleep by avoiding caffeine after noon, eating at least two to three hours before bedtime and limiting alcohol intake.
3. Strength Train and Exercise. Strength, cardio and flexibility training are all important to keep bones and heart strong, metabolisms high and bodies free from injury.  Find a variety of activities you enjoy and get in one or more (for approximately one hour) at least three times a week.  This should include two 20 to 30 minute sessions of strength training weekly.  Instead of weight lifting, you can enjoy Yoga and Pilates (both incorporate strength training) as well as other forms of exercise that require muscular strength.
4. Drink Moderately. Alcohol has seven calories per gram of alcohol, as compared to nine calories per gram of fat and four calories per gram of protein and/or gram of carbohydrates.  Alcohol in moderation, however, can help raise HDL, the good cholesterol.  Recent research suggests that the heart-health benefit of alcohol is increased if moderate consumption is consistent: three-to-seven times a week, as opposed to sporadic consumption. To balance the benefits with the calories, women should limit themselves to no more than one drink a day; men, no more than two. One drink is 4 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer (a bottle or can) or 1 ounce of hard liquor.
5. Manage Stress. Stress is part of life.  Managing stress, so it isn’t overwhelming, is critical in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  When we are over-stressed, we find reasons to soothe ourselves and, often, we do so with food.  Exercising, getting enough sleep and spending down-time alone or with loved ones, are all ways to help diminish the impact of stress on our lives.

Don’t forget to eat healthy too, but remember that other healthy habits are just as important!

Excerpted from "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! Copyright 2009 - Brett Blumenthal

GET REAL TODAY!!! Learn the most simple, straightforward, no-nonsense way to lose excess weight, and keep it off for life...without dieting! BUY IT NOW!

As a frequent traveler, I’m a bit picky about where I crash for the night.  I’ve racked up millions of points on various hotel brands, and as a result, have developed the ‘perfect night sleep‘ checklist:

1. Location, Location, Location: The location of your room is one of the most important aspects to getting a good night sleep.  Why?  Because certain locations will most definitely be noisier than others, easily disturbing you from a deep sleep slumber.
   • Which Floor: When possible, choose the highest floor.  If you can’t get the highest, then try to get on a floor that is a ‘concierge’ or ’suite’ level.  Higher floor levels often have more suites, so the ceiling heights may be taller.  This is good for ‘air-cushioning’ the noise that may come through the ceiling from an above room.  I’ve had my fair share of nights when I was woken up at 2am from loud people getting in from a late night of partying.  Also, avoid the first floor, as it will be the loudest and if you are a female, the least safe.  You always want to be sure that you are at least on the second floor for safety.
   • Where on the Floor: The middle of a guest floor is often the best location, away from the elevators, ice and vending machines, exit stairs and service closets (linens, housekeeping and janitor).  In particular, guest and service elevator machinery is loud and can be heard through the walls of your room.  Further, the ‘Ding’ that lets you know the elevator is arriving on your floor is enough to drive you batty.
2. Renovations: Hotels go through periodic renovations.  When they do, however, they do their renovations in stages.  They usually renovate one floor at a time, which means that the hotel may have newly renovated rooms, as well as old, stinky, worn-out rooms.  Always ask for the most newly renovated, as they will be cleaner, less smelly, and have newer linens, all helping you to feel more comfortable during your stay.
3. No-Smoking Rooms and Hotels: If you are sensitive to smoke, look for hotels that are smoke-free.  Although some hotels have non-smoking floors, there are many smokers who do not abide by these policies, leaving ‘non-smoking’ rooms and floors smokey.  Further, housekeeping staff will do their best to cover up the smell, by over-air-freshening the room, which can often make the smell worse.  Smoke-free hotels, however, see less of this and are often sought after by non-smokers who share your preference.
4. Curtains: Most hotel rooms come with two or three sets of curtains.  ‘Black-out’ curtains, sheers and decorative curtains.  The ‘black-out’ curtains are your sleep time friend.  As their name implies, they black-out your room so that light from outside of the hotel can not infiltrate and disturb your sleep.  Use them.  This will ensure that you won’t be woken up by police car lights, billboards, parking lot lights or an earlier than optimal sunrise time.
5. Do Not Disturb: Unless you get a thrill out of the housekeeper staff finding you in your skivvies, always remember to put out your ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign before you go to bed.  This is especially important when you are on vacation.  More often than not, the housekeeping schedule starts much earlier than your vacation schedule.
6. Alarm Clock & Wake Up Call: Unfortunately, I’ve had both wake up calls and the alarm clock fail.  Both of which can be very unsettling.  Not only does this cause you to over-sleep, but you may very well miss an important meeting or sightseeing tour, all while having an adrenaline hangover that plagues you for the rest of the day.  To ensure your schedule remains on…schedule, call down for a wake up call AND set the alarm.  One of these may fail, but rarely will both.

Do you have any tricks of the trade to ensure a good night sleep while traveling?  Have you had any bad experiences when you couldn’t sleep or were woken up, only to not be able to go back to sleep?

Related Topic:

• Your Healthy Sleep Guide
• Is the Sleep Diet Just a Fad
• 6 Ways to Overcome Jet Lag
• 7 Ways to Keep Your Diet Healthy on the Road
• Precious Sleep…When You Don’t Get It
  

Every time a new ‘diet’ comes out, I’m always amazed at how the media touts the newest of the new as being easier than the last fad diet.  When I hear about some of these ‘diets’ on the Morning Shows I watch while I workout, I often end up having a very passionate and somewhat angry reaction.  Why?  Because they often mislead the consumer into thinking there is some ‘trick’ to being healthy.  I’m going to let you in on a secret: There is no trick.  Nope.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but if there is a ‘trick’ then it probably is a sham.

So this week, the fad diet of choice is the Sleep Diet.  Yay…we can now lead consumers to believe that they can sleep away their weight problems!  It doesn’t get much easier than that!  Or does it?

Look, sleep is extremely important to your health and well-being for a variety of reasons. It strengthens and supports the immune system, it boosts cognitive function, it helps ensure strong memory function, and it keeps hormones in check and enables us to look our best and most youthful.  When we don’t get enough sleep, it can be detrimental, especially if this occurs over a long, extended time. Some of these detriments may include high blood pressure and heart-rhythm irregularities, depression, and yes, metabolic changes that can lead to weight gain and diabetes. All of that said, sleeping isn’t the only answer to weight loss prayers.  And to create a lot of hype around it seems senseless.

The reality is, many factors are important to maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle.  Sleep is definitely one of them, but so is a healthy diet and good nutrition, and regular activity or even more importantly, a consistent fitness regimen.  Sleep isn’t the end all and be all to being healthy.  Lastly, remember that every individual is unique.  Your body responds to different factors differently.  So the most important thing you can do is stay tuned into your body, what it needs and how it responds.

Are there any ‘hyped up fad’ diets you dislike?  What do you think about the idea of making sleep sound like a diet?

Related Topics:

• The Importance of Sleep
• Precious Sleep – When You Don’t Get Enough
• What Makes a Healthy Diet?
• There is No Quick Fix
• Exercise in a Pill