How Do Healthy People Stay 'Healthy?'

by Liane Membis

With the holidays around the corner, we are all crafting our own stay-the-same-size plans.  Prep the stomach for Grandma's old-fashioned holiday dinner.  Nibble on a couple of frosted cookies here and there.  Sip  something bubbly on New Year's Eve night, and then pack in a hefty resolution to lose weight for the new year.  Whether the plan is to shave off a couple of pounds or fit back into that cute dress from your college days, the secrets of healthy people can help you get back on track.

Portion control is a healthy girl's best friend.

Learn the power of a single-serving.  It's easy to want to chomp down a whole bag of Hot Cheetoes without realizing that there are 2.5 servings in the bag (2.5 times the 200mg of sodium, 16g of fat—you get the math).  Unlike Hot Cheetoes that tell you that 21 of those hot and spicy critters are 1 serving size, several food products leave you to figure out that information on your own.  The first way to start is to get educated about how Nutrition Facts and labels really work.

According to the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), an ongoing study of 5,000 individuals revealed that successful weight loss maintainers tend to eat five small meals a day rather than three large meals a day.  This process makes it easier for those who are trying to lose weight to scale down on their portion sizes, so that eating one serving size becomes normal.

Healthy girls make themselves their top priority.

One of the main reasons why thin girls are thin is because they are obsessed with themselves.  Not in a narcissist way, but they love their bodies as they would love their significant other, and treat them well.  To stay slim, they prioritize exercising regularly, eating right, and reducing stress through manicures, massages, reading, or a hobby.  Understanding that you have only one body, one vessel, to commit to your life's mission, is important, and a positive mindset in treating oneself well is beneficial maintaining or losing weight.

Anne Fletcher, a registered dietitian who works in an obesity clinic and author of Thin For Life , said that the biggest issue with weight control is people not treating themselves like they are the one.

“So often the women I saw were people who refused to take time for themselves,” she said.  “Their whole lives were spent giving, giving, giving?which women tend to do anyway, but it was really to a fault.  Sometimes you need to put yourself first.”

Healthy girls are always hungry—so they never skip meals.

It's a common misconception. How do you stay so thin? You must never eat .  But quite the contrary—slender girls may not run to the vending machine to grab a Twinkie as soon as their stomachs start to rumble, but they don't starve themselves either.  Skipping meals and weight loss according to psychologist Stephen Gullo, just don't mix.

“In my work with over 15,000 patients, the number one behavior that leads people to lose control is skipping meals,” psychologist Stephen Gullo said .

The problem with the don't-eat method is that it's unhealthy and makes you lose control over your weight loss system.  Impulses to eat control you and you're more likely to overeat.  To keep yourself from packing on 5 extra pounds from a late night snack of binging, keep healthy snacks with you throughout the day.

Orange juice? Eggs? Healthy girls love breakfast.

Sure it's cliche, but it's true.  Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day.  In 2002, the NWCR found that in a study of nearly 3,000 participants, 78 percent ate breakfast every day and 4 percent said they never ate breakfast.  Research also showed that people who didn't eat breakfast didn't lose extra weight for doing so; they had the same caloric intake which meant that packed on more calories by the end of the day.

Not only does eating breakfast serve as a healthy jumpstart to your day, but it sets your balance for eating so that at lunch time you aren't ordering two Chinese food plates instead of one.

Everyone desires and admires a full, thick head of hair.  It's a sign of good health, vitality and youth.  So it's easy to understand when a person is experiencing hair loss they want to search for ways to improve the health and thickness of their hair by experimenting with products that aid in stimulating hair growth .

What is Hair?

Hair is an outgrowth of keratin tissue from the body and is basically a form of skin.  It grows everywhere on the body except for your lips, eyelids, the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.  The living part of each strand of hair is below the surface of the scalp, where the hair is formed.

Each tiny shaft of hair is made up 2 to 3 inter-twined layers of keratin which grows from a follicle directly beneath the skin.  So the tiny strands we are able to see are in fact dead keratin tissue.  By the time hair is visible to the naked eye, it's too late to affect it's health.  So the most effective way to growth beautiful, healthy and thick hair is to stimulate the follicle under the skin in order to produce healthier hair.

How Fast Does Hair Grow?

Human hair typically grows about half an inch per month (about 1.25 centimeters) evenly across the head.  Other factors can determine both the rate and quality of the hair growth, including diet, age and overall health.

During it's life cycle, human hair goes through three stages of growth: the angean, the telogen and the catagen.  The first phase is anagen where new hair grows from the bulb (lasts between two to six years).  The second phase is catagen when hair stops growing because cell division has stopped and the follicle becomes dormant (lasts two to three weeks).  The final phase is telogen, where the hair falls out to make way for the new hair growing in (two to three months).

Hair Growth Disorders

The three most common types of hair growth disorders are alopecia, hirsutism and hypertrichosis.

Alopecia is a condition affects men and woman, in where hair is lost from some or all areas of the body.  Initially it starts off in the scalp and is sometimes called spot baldness and in 1% – 2% of cases, the condition can spread to the entire scalp.  If the patch is small, the hair may grow back.  Otherwise, several hair growth treatment options are available, including topical steroids, creams and injections.

Hirsutism is a condition which most commonly effects women.  It's a condition where there is excessive thick and dark hair growth in areas typically seen in males, eg the face, chest and around the nipple.  Many women with unwanted hair seek various methods of hair removal treatments, like waxing, shaving and laser hair removal.  But the best option is to have your blood and hormone levels tested by a physician to determine the origin of the abnormal hair growth and make suggestions for treatment.

Hypertrichosis is also more than normal amounts of hair growth but is different than hirsutism and is often referred to as the “werewolf syndrome”, where hair can completely cover the entire body, including your face, mouth and nose.  This type of hair growth disorder can be genetic or also acquired through other disease states and/or medications for those diseases.  There is no cure for hypertrichosis but people have had limited success with temporary hair removal treatments, laser hair removal, electrolysis and medication to reduce the production of hair.

The Truth About Hair Growth Products

There are many misconceptions about how to make human hair grow faster.  While it's true that nutrients like gelatin, keratin, vitamin E and other mineral supplements can improve overall hair health, which can make human appear glossy, thicker and less prone to split ends.  Nothing can actually make increase fast hair growth, because the growth rate is limited by cell division.

However, there are some factors that can influence hair growth like medical conditions; people with thyroid problems, hormones associated with pregnancy can speed hair growth as well as an assortment of other conditions.  In fact hair health, can sometimes be used as an indicator of your body's general physical health.

So while there are instances when you can maximize your genetic hair growth cycle, no actual hair growth products, hair remedies, potions or treatments can give you faster hair growth, regardless of what they claim

How to Feel More Attractive

Think of professional beauties as aesthetic marvels (and genetic accidents).  Don't compare yourself with them.  Besides, those whose looks you covet are busy rating themselves against someone even more gorgeous.  "I never thought of myself as beautiful," insists Carol Alt, the 1980s supermodel.  "There were these girls who would walk into the room and just take over. Nicolette Sheridan in the 1980s—oh my God, forget it."

Reflect on Your Relationships

"It is part of the human condition to see ourselves through the eyes of others," says Ellen McGrath, clinical psychologist and president of The Bridge Coaching Institute.  Partners have a big impact on how we view our looks.  If we get a steady dose of fondness and acceptance, "it's like being in the glow of a romantic candlelit dinner—we are seen in the best possible light," says McGrath.  Being close to a judgmental person makes us view ourselves in correspondingly harsh terms.  If you've come to believe that you're unattractive, consider whether your partner may have subtly steered your thoughts in that direction.

It's Not About You!

Shy people consistently rate themselves as less attractive than others do.  "When you focus on yourself, you become more self-critical," says Bernie Carducci, professor of psychology at Indiana University Southeast.  If you force yourself to approach others and make them feel wanted, your own insecurities diminish.  "Show up at a party with a group of friends and you'll automatically appear more attractive," says Carducci.  "It's social capital—it suggests that you know how to lead others and bring them together."

You're Instrumental

Is your body a static object to be gazed upon or a performing machine?  While women tend to think about how their bodies look, men often focus on how well they work, says Stephen Franzoi, psychology professor at Marquette University.  "If you think of your body as an instrument, you'll see it as something that you can shape and transform," he says.  "This proactive stance shifts the locus of power to you, rather than to other people observing and evaluating your body."

Get an Inner Makeover

Watch for negative self-talk.  "Replace critical thoughts, such as 'my disgusting, fat thighs,' with something more neutral, such as 'my large, muscular legs,'" suggests James Rosen, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Vermont.  Give more airtime to other aspects of your self-image .  "Consciously think of why you are desirable to other people—perhaps because they respect your competence or because you are warm and interesting. In the long run, these characteristics are more important to attraction than physical looks."

Be a Singular Sensation

Carducci, a social dynamo who works to overcome his shy temperament, strives to be not only the nicest guy in the room, but also the best-dressed.  "My look is part GQ , part discount. One of my favorite outfits is a yellow cotton shirt, a red tie with geometric shapes, tuxedo pumps and a checkered herringbone coat. I'm trying to let people know, 'I'm here and let's have a good time.'  When you're in clothes that reflect who you are, you make it easier for others to talk to you—and it's not how beautiful you are, but how approachable you are."

Get Older, Feel Better

We dread getting older, but there is evidence that people feel more attractive with age.  "Older women tend to shed their self-consciousness," says Leslie Goldman, author of Locker Room Diaries , an account of her yearlong ethnographic study of women at the gym.  "I have never seen a woman over the age of 60 scurry off into a bathroom stall to change or quickly scan the room before dropping her towel."

Beauty Is No Panacea

On average, attractive people are not happier than their homelier peers.  A sense of optimism and hope, gratifying relationships and meaning and purpose in your life have much more influence on your happiness than do your looks.  "Don't get me wrong—there are times when I've gotten special treatment because of my celebrity," says Alt.  "But I've had my share of heartbreak. I'm divorced. I lost my father and my brother. I don't think the fates decide what will happen to you based on your looks."