Flu is a serious contagious disease. This flu season could be worse because there is a new and very different influenza virus causing illness called 2009 H1N1.  And if you’re wondering whether you have H1N1 flu (swine flu) or the seasonal flu at this time of year, don’t.  You treat swine flu just as you would the seasonal flu.

Keeping a healthy lifestyle can be your first defense. Get significant rest every night. Most adults require 7.5 hours nightly. Rest will keep your immune system robust. Exercise regularly. Eat a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Supplement with vitamins as necessary. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water.

Take everyday common sense preventive actions.

•    Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or the crook of your elbow. Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hand
•    Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap & water are not available.
•    Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, as this will spread germs.
•    Avoid contact with sick people. If you are sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from spreading the infection.
•    If you are sick with a flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. This is 24 hours fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine. The exception is to get medical care or necessities.
•    Follow public health advice

Today as I looked for something for lunch, I saw the leftovers of what I had twice this week.  So I thought how can I change this and make it inviting again. Boredom is the worse enemy of healthy weight loss. Some of this we bring on ourselves. We had success eating only certain foods and we are afraid to try something new.

Here are some ways you can remake or redesign what you like

•    Evaluate what you like and make it healthier. Now is the time for baked apples. They taste just as good as pie and you can make them in the microwave in nothing flat. Use Splenda, spices, raisins and almond slivers. This has almost no fat. If you want to make it really special, add a tablespoon of sugar-free vanilla pudding while it is still hot.
•    Another simple way to do this adding a new spice to an old recipe. Strong spices will give you a big bang with little calories. Some of my favorites are ginger, red pepper and curry.  You can turn bland recipes into something special. That’s what I did with the lunch. I made it spicy with curry. Try some something that seems outrageous. Oprah puts hot sauce on her popcorn. It sounds weird but it is actually good. I dare you to try it.
•    Figure out what you are missing.  Two things I miss are crunch and chocolate. There are many ways to replace crunch. Besides carrots and apples, I use nuts to up the crunch factor. Sun Chips are another crunch for me. I get the individual packages to do the portion control. I have found several ways to add chocolate for me. One of my favorite it sugar-free hot chocolate. It is great now that the weather is getting cooler. Sometimes, I add some to coffee for a mocha taste.  And sometimes I have a small piece of good chocolate.
•    Expand your cooking repertoire. Look for recipes that use the ingredients you like in a different way. Ethnic recipes can be a great help for ideas. Look for the ones that use less meat and more vegetables. There are plenty recipes on-line. One that I like is http://recipes.prevention.com.

Remember you are designing a lifestyle. This is the time to experiment and explore. You are in charge of this change. What healthy change can you make today? Let me know.

Scored a 6.

I had a really slow start yesterday and had to work late to catch up.  Did I mention, besides walking Monk, I also have a coaching business to run?

It is harder to count grams of fiber than I thought. The fresher and more natural the food is, the less labeling it has. I had a fresh baked whole-wheat roll that I have no idea how many grams of fiber it has. I had to guesstimate.  I did end the day with a half cantaloupe  (4grams) and blueberries (2grams). Had to look that up as well.

A healthy diet should contain 25 grams of fiber. Upping that to 35 grams daily will increase your weight loss. It makes you feel fuller longer and it cleans your insides out. The easiest way to do this is to increase foods like fruits, grains, cereals, pasta, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and vegetables.

How many grams of fiber are you eating a day? This can be a little tricky if you want to factor in carbs and the glycemic index of food. You can learn more about designing a healthy eating plan by joining the www.ImReady4Me.com membership.

I am still looking for a good resource to count grams of fiber. Here are some sites that I am trying:

http://caloriecount.about.com/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/NU00582

http://www.slrhc.org/healthinfo/dietaryfiber/fibercontentchart.html

http://www.md-phc.com/fiber/food.htm

What can you do today to improve your health? Let me know.