Top Wellness Articles

20 Health Benefits of Fasting

author Dan Riefstahl date 04/18/2018

Fasting has been recognized for its many health benefits dating back to Hippocrates. These benefits extend to everything from better weight management, improved cardiovascular health, healthier blood composition, and better cell recycling, among many others.

Although there is not an abundance of research on fasting in humans, a growing number of health experts believe that the results of fasting from animal studies hold great promise for human health and future research efforts.

There are many different types of fasts you can choose from, and they differ in their results and difficulty. Much of the research included here comes from studies on caloric restriction and intermittent fasting. One conclusion is steadfast, fasting remains one of the most effective means of detoxifying your body and resetting your system for better overall health.

20 Health Benefits of Fasting

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The path to emotional wellness

author Dan Riefstahl date 04/07/2017

Being emotionally well is more than just handling stress. It also involves being attentive to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, whether positive or negative.  Emotional Wellness implies the ability to be aware of and accept our feelings, rather than deny them, have an optimistic approach to life, and enjoy life despite its occasional disappointments and frustrations.

If you are a person engaged in the process of emotional wellness, you are willing and able to:

  • Arrive at personal choices and decisions based upon the synthesis of feelings, thoughts, philosophies, and behavior.
  • Live and work independently while realizing the importance of seeking and appreciating the support and assistance of others.
  • Form interdependent relationships with others based upon a foundation of mutual commitment, trust and respect.
  • Take on challenges, take risks, and recognize conflict as being potentially healthy.
  • Manage your life in personally rewarding ways, and taking responsibility for your actions.
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15 fitness tips

author Dan Riefstahl date 03/31/2016
  1. Small steps
  2. Find short-term rewards
  3. Track your progress
  4. Enjoy yourself
  5. Never ever give up
  6. Get a workout partner
  7. Vary your workouts
  8. Focus
  9. Rest is important
  10. Focus on long term
  11. Focus on your diet first
  12. Find the exercise that works for you
  13. Learn to be present
  14. Don’t let your body adapt too much
  15. Get inspired

source

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April 07, 2017

Day 5

Today is Friday and I am on day 5 of my second reboot. I have only been to yoga 2 times this week. I got some tattoo work done on my arm on Wednesday and it has been really sore! My weigh in on Monday did not go well. :( I weighed in at 226 lbs. No pre-diet this time, but I do know that some of this was "weekend weight" from much beer drinking and bloating. I decided not to weigh myself again until the following Monday but was too tempted this morning not to do it. Today I am at 220. Not bad for 5 days! Although my "real" starting weight was likely 224 after my body normalized.

This week I did not do anything too special. But I think that is the key here. We want to be able to maintain this lifestyle long term so going crazy and being extreme will not work in the long run. Slow and steady wins the race. My main goal was to begin to train my body and mind (mostly my mind) to avoid snacking and late night eating. Also to avoid (as much as possible) items high in sugar. I did have several dum dums and a tootsie pop but overall I was successful and did not snack at night and did not eat after 7 p.m. I also drank a bit more water than normal. My diet this week was very good. I ate a lot of lean protein such as chicken, tuna, hard boiled eggs and salmon. Each day I started with a chocolate banana smoothie and a hard boiled egg. I use Atkins Dark Chocolate protein shakes. I cant say enough how much I like these. They have 15g of protein, 4g of fiber and only 1g of sugar but they taste amazing! I mix a half of a shake with one banana, and a 3/4 of a cup of ice and blend for a satisfying start to my day. Trying hard to stick to a routine seems to help me stay on track.

I am really starting to get excited about this change. As the spring rolls in (hopefully) I look forward to warmer weather and a summer when I will be able to go shirtless and feel awesome. I know you can achieve your goals. If you dont have any yet, set some. Any start is a start. Keep moving forward even if it is at a snails pace, it is still forward. If you need anyone to be accountable to, you can reach out to me. I will be your cheerleader. Being self sufficient is an important aspect of my plan, but it does not have to be that way for everyone. People need people. I am trying to go by the philosophy that I am 100% responsible for my well being. I choose EVERYTHING that goes into my body so I and I survive :).....I mean I and I alone am responsible for my well being. Happy Friday! Be well.