What’s In Your Grocery Bag?

October 21, 2013 by Lou Ann Donovan 3 Comments

The food you choose to eat each day impacts your optimal health and longevity. So what’s in your grocery bag these days?

With our fast paced lifestyle and eating on the run getting sick is at an all time high. So how do you reduce your risk for disease and increase optimal health? Let’s start with these healthy pantry staples and start moving you in the direction of healthy eating habits.

What’s in your grocery bag?

Pantry Staples for Optimal health

Beans – are a good source of protein and fiber. Black beans are top on my list for salads, soups and other dishes. No time to cook dried beans then select canned beans without salt and rinse before using. [Read more…]

2012 Year in Review: Live-Young.com

January 9, 2013 by Lou Ann Donovan Leave a Comment

2012 was my first full year of blogging about how to live young! I hope that you have enjoyed the journey so far. Most important I hope that you picked up new ideas and put into practice living a healthier life too! I look forward to another exciting year ahead and looking back here are some favorite from 2012:

5 Healthy Habits to Live Young

Let’s get You started on the road to living a healthier life. Here are my 5 Healthy Habits to Live Young summary and individual posts.

How to Sharpen Your Mind

Benefits of Physical Activity

Hydrate with Drinking Water

Why Take Nutritional Supplements

Benefits of Whole Foods

Benefits of Berries

[Read more…]

Alternatives to Wheat Products

August 3, 2012 by Lou Ann Donovan

Are you looking for alternatives to wheat products? Are you interested in following a more gluten-free diet like me? Read my story below on what lead me to make this lifestyle change.

My Gluten-Free Story

Here’s a small slice of my life story. It begins back in my college days. That’s when I decided to live a healthier life. My belief for optimal health and longevity is to lead an active life, exercise regularly, eat healthy and take vitamin and mineral supplements.

Needless to say I was shocked when my doctor shared with me 6 years ago that my blood platelets were at 800,000 mm3; normal is 150,000-400,000 mm3. High blood platelets have no symptoms and can lead to very serious diseases like hardening of the arteries and leukemia.

I was monitored by a specialist doctor at the Kansas City Cancer Center for 2 years. Initially he recommended doing a bone marrow since medication would not lower the platelets plus some additional tests. One of my tests was for celiac disease, a condition which causes intestinal damage when gluten is eaten. I’m very thankful that the test for celiac was negative but did uncover that I have some sensitivity to gluten.

In summary inflammation is what was causing my blood platelets to elevate. I choose healthy eating plus vitamin and minerals supplements to reduce them back to the normal range. Also decided to start a gluten-free diet! It’s all about taking control of your body and healing it naturally.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~Jim Rohn [Read more…]

Healthy Habits: Benefits of Physical Activity

May 7, 2012 by Lou Ann Donovan

Top 5 Healthy Habits to Living Young series fourth article – Benefits of Physical Activity. Check back for future posts to read more about my top healthy habits.

You’ve probably heard the saying; use your body or you will lose it! It’s important as we age to keep moving so both our body and mind stay healthy. So let’s get physical and live a long healthy life! Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of physical activity and some of my top activity and exercise picks.

Benefits of Physical Activity

Physical activity is necessary for both optimal health and longevity. Being active will reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart, stroke and diabetes. It will improve your mood, self-confidence and self-worth. A regular exercise program will help to prevent weight gain and aids in weight loss. Activity can reduce your stress, help you sleep better and keep your memory functions stronger. [Read more…]

Back to School: Staying Healthy Tips for Your Children

October 30, 2011 by Lou Ann Donovan

We all know that healthy kids are happier and more productive at school. So now that school is in full swing all parents know that the germ exposure increases around large group of children. Let us take a look at the some of the key health tips to keeping our children well this school year and for years beyond.

Healthy balanced diet will keep your children’s mental alertness in balance. When getting nutrients from each of the food groups daily your children will have longer attention spans and retain more information. Be sure to check out the resources below for the top 10 brain foods which can help with their memory and concentration.

Nutritional supplements are more important than ever before to protect your child’s immune system for prevention and boost their overall health. Current research is finding that our modern day diet and lifestyle is not meeting the dietary needs of our children. Experts now agree that everyone should be supplementing for optimal health and longevity. As our children excel through their school years these are also the critical growing years for keeping their body and mind healthy.

Plenty of sleep is an important piece for your child’s overall health. For peak performance both physically and mentally make sure your child is getting plenty of sleep each night. Ask your physician how many hours a night your child should be getting based on their age.

Routines also play an important role in staying healthy. Teach your children at an early age to be consistent with their bedtime, washing their hands, brushing their teeth and eating healthy meals. Forming these habits early teaches them a lifetime of healthy habits.

So help shape the future of our next generation by developing healthier habits for your children today. Follow the above health tips to super-charge their immune protection and provide nutritional support for their brain development and growing bodies.

Here’s a list of resources, all worth checking out.

HealthyChildren.org – Healthy Living for our children. Powered by pediatricians. Trusted by parents.

Top 10 Brain Foods from WebMD – Give your child’s brain a nutritional boost.

Ready, Set, Breakfast from KidsHealth.org – Jump start your day with a healthy breakfast.

Welcome to Living Your Life To The Youngest!

October 17, 2011 by Lou Ann Donovan

Hi I’m Lou Ann Donovan. Welcome to my blog about Living Your Life To The Youngest! Let me ask – do you want to add years to your life and life to your years? Then follow along as I share my personal research on how to reach optimal health, longevity and Live Young every day!

Let’s get You started on the road to living young. Here is a brief summary of my top 5 healthy habits. Check back for future posts to read more about each healthy habit in detail.

Top 5 healthy habits to living young:

Hydrate – begin your day with two 8-ounce glasses of water. Continue drinking water before meals and throughout the day until you have consumed half your body weight in ounces.
Whole Foods – choose live foods; antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables such as berries especially blueberries, apples, carrots, tomatoes plus pecans and beans.
Supplement – fill in your diet’s nutritional gaps with an antioxidant supplement to maintain healthy organs, immune system protection and cancer prevention.
Activity/Exercise – use your body or you will lose it! Pick an activity or exercise that you like and will stick with such as; walking, bowling, biking, yoga, golf…
Mind – challenge your mind and keep learning something new every day! Read, learn a new language, play card games with others, start a blog…

So don’t fall into the trap of only taking action when you are sick – be proactive, develop healthy habits and you will be delighted with the results!