2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine #43 - February 2023

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE

Your Journey to Weight Loss and Improved Health - pg. 3

Need to Schedule in Healthy Habits? Use Your Smart Phone to Stay Accountablepg. 6

Rich in Happiness with Jessica Caballero - pg. 9

How to be Healthy and Fit With Minimal Effort - pg. 14

How to Stay Motivated for Health, Fitness and Weight Loss - pg. 17

Five Inspiring Reasons to Prioritize Your Health - pg. 19

The Link Between Sleep, Weight Loss and Your Health - pg. 22

Breaking Free from Unhealthy Habits so You Can Lose Weight - pg. 25

Your Journey to Weight Loss and Improved Health

Want to be healthier and live a more fulfilled life?

There’s no time like the present to embark on a journey to weight loss and improved wellness.

Consider the word “journey” to describe your state of wellness. You’re on the path to weight loss and improved health. It doesn’t happen in a day.

You’ll speed up, slow down, turn the corner, get lost, go back, travel

in a circle. You’ll set a destination – your weight loss goal number.

After that you’ll keep on traveling!

Let’s begin your journey to weight loss by talking about what stops you.

As a busy person, finding time for health and fitness can seem like a daunting challenge. Each day is filled with activities, and

none of them happen to be exercise.

Why not?

The truth is that we make time for whatever is important to us.

Right now, let’s think of a few reasons why health and fitness should be important, and made a daily priority in our lives.

Looking good.

Who doesn’t think back

to their youthful years and wish they could have retained their trim and slim physique? Believe it or not, lots of people manage to regain the looks they had when they were younger (some end up looking better than they ever did in their entire lives) by focusing on healthy weight loss and fitness.

Feeling fit and strong. Another reason to lose weight is the desire for a strong and fit body. As the years go by, we realize that we must work harder to maintain the physical fitness that we once took for granted in our youth. But the sedentary lifestyle does not have to be for you if that’s not what you want. Working out regularly nearly always yields a positive payoff for your level of physical fitness.

Avoiding chronic disease

as you age.

No one wants to be a burden on their family, loved ones or society in general. Maintaining a healthy weight means that you can preserve your health and wellness into old age. You’ll also be able to enjoy your favorite

activities and keep up with the younger crowd.

Those are some really good reasons to prioritize weight loss for good health. What are your reasons for wanting to be healthy, fit and well? Write them down. When you put it on paper, you’re more likely to get series about weight loss and healthier living. Let’s do it!

Finding Time for Health and Fitness

Ready to stop procrastinating your health and fitness? Let’s explore some tools and ideas on how to fit weight loss into your busy lifestyle

In most cases, it doesn’t take long for the majority of people to give up on their weight loss plan before they ever really got started.

Maybe for a few weeks we make it all about salad, and head out in our best exercise gear to snap selfies on our nightly run.

But then inevitably something comes up, and our exercise routine takes a back seat to other, seemingly more pressing matters.

So how do we find time

for health and fitness when our days are already full to brimming?

The simple answer is to stop thinking of fitness as something to “make time for” in the first place. Instead, reach the point where you’ve incorporated health and fitness into your daily routine, and it’s a non-negotiable part of your day.

This is definitely something of a Jedi mind trick to pull off. But once you make the mental shift, you will no longer need to give yourself that nightly pep talk just to fit exercise into your day tomorrow.

Fitting exercise into your schedule is really about turning a goal into a daily habit. It’s a lot like brushing your teeth. It’s just what you do.

But you didn’t always brush your teeth, right? Your mom or dad showed you how, and then every day they reminded you… and every morning and night you had to remember to brush your teeth.

Then, gradually… you just started brushing your teeth.

This the same approach that you can take when making an effort to fit exercise and healthy practices into your daily life. It’s a slow mental shift. But it will happen if you keep at it.

To make health and fitness a priority, schedule it in.

Once you decide that you’d like to make fitness a part of your daily routine, the next difficult thing is to put it into action. Prioritizing requires that you actually schedule your workout and plan what you eat.

Why schedule in your health and fitness?

If you don’t schedule, you’re likely to procrastinate. Then, exercise keeps getting pushed to the last priority in favor of things like watching the kids, paying a bill, answering a call, getting distracted by what’s on TV, and pretty much everything else that has nothing to do with you getting healthy. And if you don’t plan

something nutritious for dinner, hunger is likely to sneak up at a time when you’re busy. That’s the moment you’ll find yourself choosing the unhealthy food that got you wanting to lose weight in the first place.

Reprogram your mind, and good health will follow.

Once you program your mind to accepting health and fitness as par for the course, you will find it surprisingly easy to devote a portion of your day to your weight loss goals.

So how do you reprogram your mind? It’s a gradual process that unfolds much like your lifelong toothbrushing habit. The best thing to do is to stop

overthinking it. Instead, just do it.

Another way to reprogram your mind is to follow along with others who share your commitment to weight loss, exercise, good nutrition and improved health overall.

Join a healthy recipe swap group online. Sign up for healthy eating tips from your favorite nutrition expert. Make an appointment with a fitness coach. You have many options for surrounding yourself with people who set inspiring health goals.

What else can you do? If it helps, get your phone involved just like every other aspect of your life.

Need to Schedule in Healthy Habits? Use Your Smart Phone to Stay Accountable

Your phone reminds you of your daily activities and to-do list. So it will surely be a good buddy to hold you accountable with a weight loss and exercise program.

Plan these out using your calendar, just like your other activities for the week.

Oh, but you don’t have time to add exercise and healthy eating to the calendar? Guess again. Scheduling in one thing can be accomplished by eliminating something else.

your workout. Hold yourself accountable. Keep it going for a few days. If this seems to be the right time of day for you to fit in some cardio, weights and or stretching, then keep that exercise alarm on your phone. And stick to it. On the other hand, if the time of day you selected doesn’t really work with what you have going on, then simply set a timer for a different hour. This is really important even if you don’t think it is. Because, again, as soon as you start making excuses, you’re likely to reneg on the whole “get healthy” plan.

What else can you use your smartphone for to help you set and achieve healthy weight loss goals?

• Establish a weekly routine. Maybe Monday, Wednesday, Friday seem to be the best days for hitting the gym or using your cardio machine.

• Set reminders. Actually set an alarm about a half an hour before you plan to begin your exercise routine. This will give you enough time to change into workout clothes, get yourself a drink, and get to where you need to be.

Tips to help you get in the scheduling habit:

Set an alarm to wake up an hour early. Or, trim away an hour of something you normally do that isn’t really all that important. Now, with that extra hour you’ve gained, you can clock your exercise in along with everything else.

Set an alarm for starting

Scheduling your healthy lifestyle activities like food prep and exercise means you can’t back out of your promise that you made to yourself. It’s on the calendar. You committed. Work out at a time of day that matches your energy levels. Set aside time to shop, food-prep and store healthy meals and snacks.

Using your phone to schedule in your weight loss habits is the best way to make this real for yourself. You should have no problem fitting in exercise as part of your daily life.

• Track your progress. Count your steps, monitor heart rate, check how many minutes to do a mile. Write it down or snap a pic and compare as you advance your own fitness levels.

Over just a few days, you will get into the groove of scheduling time for wellness and weightloss related activities. Once that’s done, you’re set! Healthy living becomes a habit and not something you have to do consciously.

Rich in Happiness with Jessica Caballero

Take a look at how Jessica Caballero balances being an actress, cruise ship entertainer, influencer, social event manager, and reality TV star. No two days are the same in her fun, fast-paced life!

Dennis Postema: What is success to you?

Jessica Caballero: Doing what makes you the happiest. For me, that means love, fun and anything that gives me adrenaline.

Many people measure success in money and wealth, but I don’t see it like that. As long as I physically feel happy and I’m doing all the things I love to do, then I am successful.

If you’re rich in happiness, you’ll get everything else you want.

Dennis: What are some fundamentals for success?

Jessica: Self-respect and self-love.

If you don’t respect yourself, the people around you won’t respect you. People will value you however you value yourself. The way you present yourself and the way you show up in a room matter. When you walk into a room, naturally you’re being judged. If you come in respectfully, you’ll always have a positive light wherever you go.

If you don’t love yourself, the world isn’t going to love you. You’ll be a people-pleaser and you’ll never love yourself because you’re living for others. The moment you learn to love and respect yourself, you will become the best person, the best friend, the best lover, the best everything you can be.

Dennis: Do you feel like you have made it? If so, at what point did you realize this?

Jessica: The term “made it” is so controversial. I feel like we never “make it” in the eyes of society, because there is always going to be something you want.

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. You can always become better; you can always “make it” even more.

As much as I can be happy and successful in what I’ve accomplished, I always feel like I can make more of what I’m doing. Every day, I’m happy with what I have. I thank God for what I have, but I’m ready for the next adventure, and I’m ready to see what else I can do.

I have not “made it.” I’m never going to “make it.” But I’m going to keep on keeping on, because that’s what life’s about. It’s not about staying still. It’s not, “This is the goal, and I’m going to get to that goal,” it’s onwards and upwards.

That’s what keeps life turning. You’ll get complacent if you feel like you’re at a place where you have everything. At the end of the day, you’ll feel stuck, because what are you working toward? What is life for? Keep going.

Dennis: What are some of the biggest adversities you have overcome?

Jessica: I have dyslexia. It was a challenge throughout school, because I never knew I had it. Other people read quicker than me, and I hated sight-reading out loud.

As an actor, I always had to sight-read, but the words would jumble up. Every audition I went to, I would go over the script a hundred times to prepare. Sometimes I would get to the audition and would be given an updated script, and I really, really struggled

with that. Eventually, I learned that there is no right or wrong in acting, so I started going onstage and owning my mistakes. If I messed up a word because of my dyslexia, I owned it, because I had to.

That’s what shaped me. I couldn’t change my dyslexia—no matter how much I read or what I did, it’s there. It gets better the more I read, but it still trips me up sometimes.

When I was about six years old, I discovered I have a hearing impairment. I was deaf in my left ear. I had grommets installed.

We found out because I always had the TV extra loud, and when my family took walks, my parents would call my name and I

didn’t hear them.

Throughout my teen years, I would say my hearing was average, but it has been slowly getting worse. I am getting hearing aids soon. I will be sharing the story more and going into deeper detail when I get the hearing aids.

Dennis: What drives you?

Jessica: My relationship with God, my family, and fitness.

My faith and love for God motivates me to do better. Each day, waking up and knowing it’s a new day and wondering what more I can do for Him drives me.

I was recently baptized, and I’m seeing life differently. I’m realigning my focus.

Every time I work out in the morning, my day goes completely differently than if I had waited until evening to work out.

Overall, it’s the consistency of faith with activities that keep me physically fit.

Dennis: What does an average day consist of for you?

Jessica: Spontaneity. Every

single day is different for me, and that’s the beauty of my industry. I don’t have an average day.

Every day is a new life. There are always new challenges, new things to overcome. One day, I might have twenty guests in an audience, and the next I could have a thousand. I could be doing a shoot for a clothing line brand the following day.

I love it. It motivates me. What will today bring? What could I do differently today than I did yesterday?

Dennis: What is your reaction to haters and naysayers?

Jessica: I pray for them. Haters and naysayers are insecure, so it’s important to be there for them and to support them more than the people that support you, because they are obviously unhappy.

I never see it as entirely negative when someone hates on me, because it means I have something they want. Why are they hating? People don’t use energy hating on someone they don’t admire.

You have to shine back on

them with light. Give them the love that Jesus would have given to his haters. Be the light in this dark world.

Dennis: What is your number one overall goal, in business or in life?

Jessica: It’s always changing. I wouldn’t narrow it down to, say, acting or being a presenter or anything like that.

My overall goal is to be happy. I don’t just mean happy as in, “Wake up, OK, it’s a good day,” but happy in my relationships, happy in my friendships, happy in my job, happy in all aspects of my life. Whatever I have to do to remain happy. If I’m not happy, I’m doing something wrong, and I have to change it.

Dennis: How important are mentors and coaches to you, and can you name a few and the impact they have had on your life and career?

Jessica: I never used to have mentors because I never leaned on anyone except for God, but nowadays, I think it is

so important to have mentors. Sometimes you don’t see what others see. You see your life through a lens, and sometimes you visualize a goal and think it’s obtainable, but without a mentor giving you stepping stones, the voice in your head can’t see outwards, so sometimes you need people behind you to support you, elevate you, lift you further than you could have lifted yourself.

My mentor has definitely elevated me, and it’s nice to have support, to have someone to turn to.

My sister has also been one of my biggest mentors every single day of my life. I don’t know what I would do without a sister like her.

Step back. Sometimes you need help. It’s OK to ask for help. Society tries to make us think that we can do this alone, that we’re strong, that we don’t need help. We are strong on our own, but we are stronger together.

Dennis: What is the best advice you have ever received?

Jessica: Save money. Save,

save, save.

Ever since I was a little girl, my sister—who is nine years older than me— always told me to save.

And I was like, “OK, just save and save.”

But it’s hard to realize the importance of saving, especially these days. The moment you get it, you have to get rid of it. At the end of the day, when it’s gone, it becomes a chase, and then you start your life chasing things.

When you start saving from a young age, you realize you can grow. Plants start as seeds, but they need water and sunlight to grow. Saving is the same thing. Other things in life get easier when you have finances behind you, so definitely start saving.

If you’d like to learn more about Jessica Caballero, follow her on Instagram or TikTok: @ jessicacaballero__.

How to be Healthy and Fit With Minimal Effort

The best way to stay healthy and fit without a lot of fuss is to slip in activities that will keep your body moving. Try fitness on the fly as you go about your day.

This doesn’t have to be a full time job (though some people turn fitness into their side gig or even fulltime career!).

The key is to turn every activity into an excuse

to move your body. Don’t quit taking care of your responsibilities, but integrate a fitness or health-related component into whatever else you’re doing.

Here are a few tips for making time for health and fitness despite being busy.

Walk when you can.

Walking is one of the best

ways to integrate fitness into your daily routine. You don’t have to schedule time for a walk. In fact, don’t think of it as a walk at all!

Just walk while you talk on the phone, for example. If you’re on your mobile with a friend or business contact, simply stand up and pace back and forth as you talk. You’ll still be doing what you need to do and you’ll be getting

exercise at the same time.

Take the stairs.

If you’re needed on another floor, opt out of using the elevator and instead, take the stairs. It’s a very simple routine and doesn’t take very long to make into a habit. Are you due to handle some business five floors up? Give yourself an extra ten minutes and sneak in your “real-life Stairmaster” routine while working. That’s a win for your fitness routine.

Exercise at your desk.

Desk push-ups, desk curls and other exercises have been developed by fitness experts to help you benefit from movement while at your desk. Yes, there really are exercises that you can do without leaving your workstation. Stay tuned for more information on desk exercises.

Drink lots of water and fuel up on healthy foods.

Limiting calories and eating “faux-healthy” snacks won’t help you stay

fit. But nourishing your body with healthy snacks and staying hydrated with pure, clean water, will.

Look for any opportunity to use your muscles.

Instead of handing that heavy object to someone bigger, smile and lift it yourself. Park your car in the far parking spaces, and hoof it into the store. Clean your own house from top to bottom instead of outsourcing. Do some yard work!

How to Stay Motivated for Health, Fitness and Weight Loss

It can be hard to focus on wellness when your life is so busy. It’s even more challenging when juggling your career with family life.

The key to staying healthy and fit is to do the small things. You won’t feel like it’s doing much… but gradually, positive change will come.

Priority 1: Establish your fitness routine.

You don’t have to be as strict with your schedule as you would be if you were working out at the gym. But you should make sure you get some time each day to be active.

Walk around, take a little jog… play with your kids, engage in physical labor… and do something active that you enjoy.

Priority 2: Rethink the way you eat.

If you’re not up on the latest nutrition advice, it’s time to get educated. Example: low-fat was once all the rage, but now we have a better understanding of how nutrition works. What can you learn by reading a few articles?

The simplest and most straightforward advice for eating right comes from the CDC.

Fill your plate ¾ with fresh colorful veggies. The other half of the plate should divide up a portion of lean protein, and a starch. Healthy fats like oils from nuts and seeds, should be included in moderation.

Priority 3: Plan and organize.

Things like shopping for healthy foods, keeping storage containers to take nutritious snack and meals on the go… having clean workout clothes, white socks and a good pair of sneakers, will keep you on track with your weight loss goals.

Being healthy and living an active, fitnessfocused lifestyle does take some planning.

At first, you’ll have to make adjustments… like remembering to wash your gym pants. But eventually, the positive actions you take on behalf of your health will become automatic.

Priority 4: Seek support from like-minded individuals.

Join a group online where you can swap healthy recipes, share health and weight loss goals, and keep each other accountable. Getting inspiration from other people goes a long way to help you stay motivated with health and fitness.

A lot of people struggle to stay on track with health goals when they’re busy. We hope these tips will empower you to take control of your health and have the life that you want.

Five Inspiring Reasons to Prioritize Your Health

A lot of people feel they can’t focus on weight loss goals because they have too much going in in their lives.

But the truth is; it doesn’t matter how busy you are. You should always make time for healthy lifestyle changes. At first it may seem difficult to look beyond the to-do list, but it’s so worth it when you do.

After all: if you skip out on good health practices now, you could find yourself sacrificing your quality of life to declining health chronic disease later.

Also: no one is going to hand you a medal for completing everything on your task list. But they will hand you big medical bills if you skip out on needed self-care.

Moral of the story: take care of YOU first, then take care of everything and everybody else. Your health is worth it!

Here are five inspiring reasons to prioritize your health. As long as you’re consistent, you’ll notice the results.

Prevent disease. You should prioritize your health because it

will help prevent disease. Chronic disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and statistics show that overweight and obese people are at higher risk.

Being the right weight for your age and height can help prevent chronic, debilitating health conditions like hypertension, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and some cancers.

Look your best for the people who matter…. like you!

The main reason to prioritize your health

is because health is a reflection of yourself. Remember that you are the person who is important in your life.

You matter to the people who love you, and you should also matter to yourself. If you give up on your health, you are essentially giving up on yourself.

As a parent, brother, sister or offspring, it feels good to know that your family members admire your physique, and feel proud that you’re taking good care of your body.

This creates a positive cycle that actually leads to better health. And… you may even get other important people in your life on board with being their best, healthiest selves. This is a cycle you definitely want to get into!

Be the best mom or dad.

As a parent, you have several responsibilities. These generally are:

• Giving your children the best environment for healthy living and growth

• Teaching your children how to live a happy and healthy life

• Being there for your children, participating in their activities, cheering them on in their sports and hobbies.

Parents set an example for how their children live. In the early years especially, we should ideally be modeling good health practices that teach how to care for their own bodies as they grow.

It also helps to be healthy and fit so you can take part in the activities that develop motor skills, physical prowess, and interactive abilities in your children.

Being overweight will prevent you from engaging in simple parent-child activities like playing catch, for example, or shooting baskets.

You’ll also want to be physically fit enough to attend activities outside the home.

Your children gain selfconfidence in your positive presence at their sports events, school plays and other extra-curricular activities. The more fit you are, the more apt you’re likely to show up and keep up with what’s happening.

Be the best employee.

As an employee, you look forward to raises and promotions. Believe it or not, being overweight and out of shape can negatively impact this situation, but not in the way that you might think.

Staying physically fit and fueling your body with the right, nutritious foods will sustain your energy levels. Instead of relying on sweets and coffee for a pick-me-up followed by a crash, you’ll have a steady flow of energy for most of the day.

Sticking to a wellness routine that includes being active, eating right and drinking lots of water means you’ll be less likely to slack off or even nod off in the afternoons. You’ll function at full mental capacity which essentially means working with your brain turned on and engaged.

Being physically fit can help you will become the best employee that you can be. Your employers will benefit. Your confidence will soar! And finally, your family will benefit from the increase in household income.

D O W N L O A D T O D A Y o n A m a z

The Link Between Sleep, Weight Loss and Your Health

Do you have trouble sticking to a healthy weight loss and wellness plan? What does this have to do with sleep?

Maybe you’ve been feeling tired and unmotivated. These are both symptoms of a lack of sleep. Research has shown that getting eight hours of sleep each night is linked to better mood, higher energy levels and more creativity.

How do we sleep better? By burning off extra energy during our waking hours. Numerous studies have shown that exercise, including cardio and stretching, work to improve our quality of sleep.

Choosing the right

foods to fuel our bodies also leads to better sleep. We’re less likely to experience digestive upset caused by eating fried and greasy foods. Our blood sugar levels will remain more stable when we limit processed sugar and keep portions under control.

Reducing stress also helps us sleep. There are many ways to go about this, including alleviating mental stress, and burning off stress through exercise and stretching.

Meditation is another form of stress relief that leads to deeper, more healing sleep. Look into ways to eliminate, reduce, or relieve stress, and your sleep should

improve which will greatly enhance your health.

Better sleep leads to a refreshed mind, and that is a key element of creativity. Creativity helps you tackle your job better, earn more money and generally live a more fulfilling lifestyle.

Getting enough sleep each night can enhance your longevity. Your sleep has a lot to tell you about how you live. If you toss and turn at night, that’s your body telling you something isn’t right. Maybe you’ve taken on too much. You could need some stress-relief, a better diet, help with relationship challenges, more or different exercise, new forms of self-care, or all of the above.

Remember: your sleep will give you insights into what needs to change in your life. So pay attention to what your sleep is telling you, and then make the needed adjustments so you can get on the path to improved health and longevity.

Breaking Free from Unhealthy Habits so You Can Lose Weight

Dieting is hard and being on a diet is even harder. The weight loss struggle is more than just a number on the scale. It’s a struggle to break free from unhealthy patterns.

Anyone who has been on a diet can tell you that it takes concerted, conscious effort. You might be repeating the same unhealthy behaviors over and over again that were passed to you by family and friends since childhood. That’s a hard habit to break.

The first step to making a mind shift is to make a plan. What needs to change? The answer will be different for everyone.

• Do you lack information on how to nourish your body in a healthy way?

• Have you developed a junk food habit?

• Do you need to put some thought into shopping, food prep and storage of healthier snacks and meals?

• Are addictive habits getting in your waylike having drinks after work which make you feel hungry and leads to an unhealthy food binge?

• Is not owning exercise clothes stopping you from exercising?

• Do you need more support in your corner? Are you surrounded by people who encourage eating to excess and don’t talk or know a lot about nutrition and fitness?

Figure out how to blow through all of these problems. Once you have a plan in place, implement it.

Fad diets and why they don’t work

For most people, the idea of a healthy diet is one that is best achieved by going on a fad diet that promises quick weight loss.

However, the reality is that this approach doesn’t work. Why? Because as soon as we reach our target weight, we return to our usual habits and foods that we used to enjoy before dieting. This is the quickest way to put back on all the weight you lost.

The key to a lasting weight loss is one that takes time. It may seem impossible, but remember what you’re working for is a better life.

How to break free from unhealthy eating patterns

It’s easy to fall into unhealthy eating patterns when you’re busy. You might not be able to change your diet as much as you’d like, but you can change how you think about food, and how you approach eating in general.

There are many ways to change your thinking and stop destructive patterns. One effective way is to develop a food plan that you follow. You might not be able to eat healthy all of the time, but you can still identify a few foods that you can eat every day.

When you introduce these foods, you’ll find that you’ll have more energy, feel better, and be able to better care for yourself and your family.

Another way to change your thinking is to be aware of the triggers that make you want to eat more.

For example, you might eat more when your work is particularly hard, or when you’re feeling down. You’ll be able to identify these triggers, and trade the eating part for another stress-relieving activity –like exercise.

The most important thing to remember is that unhealthy eating patterns cannot be changed overnight. In fact, trying to force a change in your eating habits may have the opposite effect. You

will feel more stressed, leading to a desire for comfort food, which will then make you reinforce your habit of eating unhealthy food.

The key, therefore, is to take small steps.

Let’s say you’ve gotten into the habit of ordering a burger or pizza for lunch because that’s the most convenient way to get food to you. Choose vegetables and lean protein, instead. Something like a healthy, fresh salad topped with grilled chicken could be a good way to fill your belly without the extra baggage that comes from fatty and / or processed foods.

Or if it’s chilly out, a nice bowl of hearty vegetable soup with some meat and nutritious beans, can be your healthy go-to when

it’s time to sit down to a meal.

Where will you obtain meals like these? You have a few options.

• Prepare healthy meals on a Sunday to pack and go that will last you through the week.

• Seek out restaurants and grocery stores that offer healthy choices.

• Order healthy food from one of the many companies now offering this option for busy, health-conscious people.

Take it slow, make a plan, and you will surely be able to break free from unhealthy eating patterns. Over time and with practice, this can lead to a complete mind shift that will have you eating healthy for the rest of your life.