John Aaron Wellness

If you have ever paid attention to the people you most hang around with in life, you would note that it’s only our really great friends that help us celebrate our victories. To them it makes no difference how large or small the milestone may be. You are worth their efforts. The question is, are you a friend who reciprocates this effort? Take a moment to evaluate yourself. Are you someone who can give other people the credit, love and support they are due or are you someone that constantly needs the center stage? Worse, are you one to sabotage another’s efforts for your own gain? We are all in this game of life together, so lighten up! Nobody gets out of it alive. That is why it falls upon us to not only make our lives an enjoyable event for ourselves, but to help those in need; especially those who have never tasted a bit of joy in their own lives. Always evaluate your friendships and acquaintances and while you try spending time with people who can help affirm your own life’s dr...

There’s an old saying that goes, “you reap what you sow.” Do you feel happiness is hard to find?  Just when things are going well, does it seem something happens to zap your joy?  Do you wonder if true happiness is something that can ever be grasped? Then, perhaps it’s time to look at planting the seeds of happiness in your life. Studies show that the ability to feel happy is related to a person’s state of mind.  The good news is that you can choose your state of mind.  Happiness can be yours simply by re-framing your responses to life and its circumstances. Consider the difference between a positive mindset and a negative mindset: • Positive-minded people appear happier.  They tend to look for the good in situations and other people.  They choose not to be overcome by trials, knowing a solution is around the corner. • Problems present opportunities to the positive-minded. When a solution is found, they gain a feeling of accomplishment resulting i...

A lot of people want to change for the better. We've all been there. We take a vow to lose weight, exercise more or spend more time with our family. We start the year with great intentions, but then we quickly relapse into old habits. Well, no more! Here are some ways you can grow stronger as a person and make your positive intentions a concrete reality: 1. Write down your intentions and keep them in a visible place, like taped to your bedroom mirror or the dashboard of your car. 2. Get to the source of whatever is keeping you in a rut. Are you in a stressful relationship that causes you to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s every night? Are you stressed at your job and feel too tired to exercise after work? If you don’t tackle the root of the behavior, it will be much harder to accomplish your goal. 3. Be clear about what your life would look like once you achieve your goal. If you resolve to go to the gym more, how will this benefit you? Get connected to the result of yo...

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” This is a quote by Paulo Coelho in; The Alchemist. Love can be many things, but one of the things I find most important is that it can be an inspiration, the impetus needed to achieve greatness. However, the interesting thing about inspiration is that it is not eternal. Inspiration is a temporary thing. Unlike love,  a constant, an eternal principle; inspiration is fleeting. Think of inspiration as a glass of milk or fresh fruit. If left out too long, it becomes unpalatable and eventually - useless. So, it amazes me to meet clients with personal goals of losing weight, getting in better shape, gaining control of their health or their career, and then wanting to do it all starting next week or next month . My question is always, “Why not start now?” If you are inspired to start eating more healthily on a Friday evening, why wa...

I've been learning so much from my time with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as I work through their certification program. And, it should come as no surprise that I want to share that knowledge with you. One thing I've learned is "Fad is Bad." So, nope. No fad diets for me. Fad diets don’t work! If you’ve tried one, you know this already and probably remember feeling grouchy, starved, irritable, deprived, or just plain lousy. Instead, my strategy is to forget the fad. I'll avoid making drastic changes and take one step at a time (like learning what proper portion sizes look like), then incorporating these steps into a regular part of my daily routine. My tips for a well-balanced weight-loss plan include:     Always eating breakfast, and never skip meals.     Eating a variety of lean meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.     Limiting the amount of sugar, refined flour, processed f...

I was watching my daughter the other day. She was supposed to be putting up the toys she left scattered in her bedroom. Instead, she was in her papa’s study eyeballing a candy jar sitting on a high shelf. Laser focused cannot begin to describe her standing catatonic. It was as though she thought if she moved, the jar would run from her. I watched. I waited. She took a deep sigh and turned to make her way into the hall where I was standing. A little surprised, she looked up at me and said, “I wasn’t going to get that candy.” I laughed. She smiled wryly and made her way to her awaiting chores. Have you ever gotten the feeling that you should be doing something other than what you are? I don't just mean in the area of good vs. evil, but in everyday life. Conscience is a funny thing, huh?. That little voice inside your head that can make you feel guilty about doing a half-hearted job, ignoring the rules, or neglecting your duty... Well, listening to her conscience was just what...

I hope that you had an excellent new year celebration and that you are ready for a great new year. I know that I am! While I discourage New Year’s Resolutions, I still indirectly get asked for advice on how to make them stick. For example, a person I met said their New Year's resolution was to start eating better at work. She vowed to no longer visiting the doughnut box in the break room or pig out at any of the company birthday parties. Yet she still needed to entertain clients and liked eating out with coworkers every now and again. Did I know what she could do to eat healthy at restaurants? My advice was to try eating a few walnuts (about 6-8) or a small fistful of almonds (about 12-15) before leaving for the restaurant. The idea is to not arrive in starvation mode. In fact, eating a little healthy fat before a meal will trigger a chain reaction that will slow the rate at which your stomach empties. The end result is a satiated feeling, but unfortunately it takes the bra...

Happy New Year! I hope this 2012 year is your best yet, and I pledge to do all I can to help you make it so! As I sit here in the wee hours of the morning on the first day of the New Year, I remember my father. He’s an early riser, too. I remember him telling me one morning that the reason he loved mornings was because it was his time to see the world “untouched” by the rest of us. It made him feel like the world was his alone. For me this is the “Golden Hour” because it sets the tone for whatever follows. It allows you to take care of yourself first thereby setting you up for a happier day. What can you do with this time? Well, here are a few ideas that I think will work: Read: Most accomplished people took the time to “feed” their mind a diet of positive, uplifting and educational materials that moved them forward through their day and gave them inspiration for new ideas, goals and insight on life. Exercise: Take a walk. It circulates your blood, strengthens your hear...

So you already know you should be incorporating a variety of fresh fruits and veggies into your menu, but are you having a hard time trying to figure out which ones you should add to your diet? Well, something that I have done personally is to plate my food with color. Different colored pigments in fruits and vegetables have different and varying phytochemicals. In fact, research has shown that these components can not only help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer; but, exciting new studies show that they are also extremely important in protecting the delicate cells of the nervous system (something very important as we age). For a better handle on what you should eat for improved health in specific areas, try the following “color” tips. Orange foods , as well as yellow foods , are jam-packed with lycopene, vitamin C, flavonoids, beta-carotene, and potassium. These are helpful in countless ways, including lowering your cholesterol levels. Blue and purple foods contain vitamin C,...

Maybe you’ve been working really hard at losing those last 10 pounds. You’ve done everything you can think of from cutting back on the amount of calories you eat, to working out twice a day. You’ve even sworn off desserts! So why do those extra pounds hold such a stubborn grip on you? Well, if you’ve read a couple of my most recent posts, you could be sabotaging your efforts by neglecting your sleep. As I’ve been saying, your ability to maintain a healthy weight can directly correlate your ability to obtain adequate quality. The interesting thing is that the two benefits are symbiotic in that losing weight is a good way to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep. Why? There are a number of reasons. For starters, a significant number of overweight people tend to suffer from sleep apnea. This is a condition which commonly causes snoring. However, the snoring is severe enough to obstruct a persons’ breathing for prolonged periods, as he or she sleeps. However, there are recorded...

Last Friday my aunt and uncle celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary. My own parents are on their 47th year, and this month, Alex and I will also celebrate an anniversary - our 17th year together. On occasion, it feels much longer but for the most part, it is as though time shot by us and here we are seventeen years later. So in an age of quick divorces and short lived relationships, I guess you could call us odd couples. In fact, I’m sometimes asked, “Between raising a child, holding down a demanding job, volunteer work, and taking on the minutia of everyday living, where do you fit in time to grow closer to your spouse?” My secret is this - there is no time to be “perfect” in your relationship. Living is messy! And while I’m not saying there aren’t plenty of rosy, “peaches and cream” moments, a relationship - a marriage - requires work. One thing I’ve learned is that a relationship is never static. It is always a work in progress. It seems that many couples I’ve met that are in ro...

Let it be said that you can beat the odds and maintain a healthy figure throughout middle age. Gaining weight during middle age is only natural, right? Wrong... If you dread the pounds of midlife, cheer up! With the right attitude and an appropriate diet and exercise regiment, you may be able to keep your youthful figure and good health for a healthy start to your silver and golden years. It's a matter of weighing your responsibility. Midlife weight gain is unfortunately very common. There are definite factors working against you as you age. Besides fluctuating hormone levels, your metabolism begins to slow down. This means it takes more work to burn the calories you consume. Another problem is that most adults lose between 30 and 50 percent a pounds of muscle each year. The smaller your muscles are, the fewer the calories you are able to burn. Weight gain during your midlife is also a danger to your health as it increases your risks for a range of serious medical conditio...

If one is the loneliest number, "No" is the loneliest word. However, if you're going to exist on planet Earth, you've got to learn how to use this tiny word - even when the person asking the question is your friend. Here's how to get a better handle on "No." Nip it in the bud. Good ol' Barney Fife was onto something when he coined this classic phrase. Giving an immediate "No," when you know the answer is "No" is the best way to go about giving a negative response. You're nipping the question in the bud. Promising that you may be able to catch a movie or have time to play softball after work - when you know you can't - only makes the "No" seem that much worse. So as soon as you know your answer will be "No," let it out! Reserve it for rare, special occasions . If you're truly someone's friend, this one should be a no-brainer. You enjoy spending time with your friends and helping them ou...

It's becoming more than a movement. It's a way of life. What is "slow" food? It's learning to cook your own food using fresh ingredients. It's knowing where the vegetables, meats, and fruits you eat come from, and meeting your local farmers if you can. It sounds like some sort of Utopian view of eating, and maybe it is. Known as the Slow Food Movement, this new view of an old way of life is garnering lots of attention from food lovers across the globe. But is there something you can learn from this slow-and-steady approach to mealtime? Well, the main "take away' is that good things take time. While the Slow Food Movement may have only recently become a household name, it's been around for quite some time. In fact, according to the web site for Slow Food International (slowfood.com), it all started in 1989. Just remember this the next time you're frustrated with the amount of time it takes to cook a meal the old-fashioned way. Or when you...