Emerson Publications

The Family First Newsletter
Promoting family unity one issue at a time
Vol. 11 Issue 9 - Week of March 17, 2008
ISSN: 1527-6201
©2008 - Joyce Pierce --All Rights Reserved

Good morning!

I remember growing up with Jack LaLanne on my television.  At the time I thought he looked pretty funny in that jumpsuit and ballet slippers, but I'll have to admit that I didn't know a man who had a body like his.    As a child, all of the men around me were just the average guys with a belly.   None of my dad's friends were toned or muscular!  I don't even remember the male stars looking like that.  They were all just average men who watched their weight, but apparently nothing more.

When exercising became the fashionable thing to do, I walked, sometimes ran, rode a bike outside, and loved doing step aerobics.   As a young mother, my main exercise was just keeping up with my children.

I watched my diet and although I've never been classified as overweight, the pounds creep up occasionally.  I don't really notice until one day everything I own is too tight!  I've done South Beach, Atkins, Somersize, and failed miserably at Weight Watchers.  It was only after paying thousands of dollars to a wellness clinic that I learned it was the sugar that was contributing to the pounds.  As soon as I went on a yeast-free diet, eliminating all sugar, grain, potatoes, and more, that I lost the flab that exercise wouldn't remove.

Not long ago, AARP ran a feature on Jack LaLanne.  When I saw his picture on the cover, at 93, he still looked great.  There were new lines and crevices in his face, but he looked wonderful.  I was thrilled to see that he was still alive.  What surprised me was that he had been promoting this "new" wellness diet all along.   Way back in the 40s he was attributing bad behavior to bad foods.  He advocated a diet with no sugar, no grains, no soft drinks, etc.

With all of the new year resolutions focused on losing weight and staying healthy, I thought you might enjoy reading this interview with this insightful man.  Not only does he cover the advantages of being physically healthy, but also being fiscally healthy.  If you have money problems, you already know that it affects your health.  You may also have discovered that nothing is harder on a marriage than financial problems.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/20080219_lalanne_Q&A_a1.asp

You can read all you want, but until you put a plan into action, it's really not going to help you.  Like my friend Debbie, who recently had an "aha" moment about being a better friend.  She said she realized what she needed to do to improve her relationships, but it wasn't until she decided to actually get out and follow the suggestions that it began to improve her life. 

All the diet books in the world won't help you unless you put them into action.  Better than "dieting," just learn what works for you and then stick with it.  Make it a way of life.

What are you doing to make 2008 GREAT?

Joyce Moseley Pierce
www.emersonpublications.com