Prioritize Counting your BLESSINGS above counting your calories

As health educators we strive to give you the best tools necessary to stay healthy and fit, which can be ever-more difficult during the holiday season, but the truth of the matter is this: health isn't just about what you eat and how you exercise. It is just as importantly (if not moreso) about how you feel and where you place your attitude. With Thanksgiving fast-approaching it's important that we step beyond nutrition and physical activity and rather focus on what the holiday is really about: GRATITUDE.

Yes, Thanksgiving may provide a couple extra pounds and a few skipped workouts, but if we treat the holiday right it can also offer some longer-lasting and more impactful health benefits. Don't become overly occupied with how many calories are on your plate. Try to stay on track with your activity and nutrition, but let it move to the back of your mind as you consciously focus on what you're grateful for this holiday season. In an article by Eric D. Nelson, gratitude is described as being extolled by every religion on earth as an essential virtue. Cicero, the renowned Roman orator, called it “not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.” Only recently, however, have medical researchers begun delving into the impact gratitude has on our mental and physical health.

One of the leaders in this field is U.C. Davis psychologist Robert Emmons, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology and author of the book “Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.” In one of Emmons' studies, participants were divided into three groups. At the end of each week one group wrote down five things for which they were grateful. Another group kept track of daily hassles. And a control group listed five events that made some impression on them. In the end Emmons discovered those in the gratitude group generally felt better about their lives, were more optimistic about the future and, perhaps most importantly, reported fewer health problems than the other participants.

It's no secret that stress can make us sick, particularly when we can't cope with it, and there's no shortage of stress this time of year. Stress is linked to several leading causes of death, including heart disease and cancer, and claims responsibility for up to 90% of all doctor visits. Gratitude, it turns out, can help us better manage stress. "Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress," Emmons says.

Gratitude has also been proven to boost immunity in several studies. In other studies involving those diagnosed with AIDS as well as those recovering from surical operations, having a grateful and optimistic attitude can speed recovery and improve well-being.

Gratitude will take you full circle. Research suggests that grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, regular physical examinations. So don't be too worried about "giving up" your healthy lifestyle in the name of gratitude -- gratitude will just make it easier!

There is definitely a connection between a grateful heart and a healthy heart, so it's worth a shot! You don't need to be worry-free to be grateful - no one is. We're are facing losses, traumas, stresses, and difficulties, but we all have so much to be grateful for! Make a list! Keep a gratitude journal! Take the desparing aspects of your life and figure out even one positive thing about it! Discuss with your family all the things for which you're grateful! Remember those things throughout the season, and the holiday will be meaningful.

While I have no idea what I'll be having for dinner this Thanksgiving, one thing I'm absolutely certain of is keeping track of what and how I think is at least as important as what I eat. Experience has shown that putting first things first will keep everything else — including my health — in order.

Mmmmm … nothing like a little gratitude to balance that extra helping of mashed potatoes.

Post Title : Prioritize Counting your BLESSINGS above counting your calories

Prioritize Counting your BLESSINGS above counting your calories,

Thanksgiving,

Prioritize Counting your BLESSINGS above counting your calories