That Which does not Kill Us…. (or does it?)

Its been a rough couple of weeks for me.  The cancer card seems to be falling all around me.  We buried a friends wife a week ago. A sorority sister was diagnosed this week. A niece is fund raising for her friend who has been diagnosed. My heart aches for my friends, family members, and even strangers who are dealing with heart ache and pain from these killer diseases.

I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on for years.  Ever since I knocked off the extra weight, and the need for my six pharmaceutical meds, I’ve been researching how to make a difference. How to help myself and others avoid these killers.

Leading_killers_in_America_-_Healthy_Grease_Monkey

Today, I began reading Jamie McManus, M.D.’s “Your Personal Guide to Wellness. What your Doctor Doesn’t Have Time to Tell You.”  Off of the pages screamed another statistic… 

The personal risk for developing major diseases and severe health problems is 20% genetics and 80% lifestyle.”  ~Dr. Jamie McManus

This comment is one that spurs me on to keep heading down this path. I truly believe that each one of us can add life to our years and years to our life through daily decisions.

Looking forward to what more this book with scream out to me as well as the other titles that arrived in the mail today!  I see an information rich few weeks ahead for myself! (Never stop learning)

If you would like more information on how your personal lifestyle choices and personal habits can have GREAT benefits for your life, contact me.

Don’t gain a turkey in your pants for Christmas.

Oh, the memories of all the Holiday meals. Thanksgiving turkey, homemade noodles, mashed taters, gravy on it all, green been casserole, the feeling you get as you unbutton the top button of your pants to get in that last bite of Pumpkin or Pecan or Butterscotch pie…

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Then you have the knowledge that you will get to do this again in 1 month for Christmas.  PLUS… you get all the food at all the Christmas parties and celebrations leading up to the big day.

Top it all off with New Years Eve when we over indulge in liquid calories as we make promises to ourselves we don’t keep.

This equals 2 months of eating to gain (whether intentional or not).  Many people end up gaining 7-11 pounds over these two months.  This makes keeping those New Year’s Resolutions that much more difficult to keep. UNLESS… We start today, by making healthier choices and even Just One Change!

No_more_skinny_jeans

cinch has been rebranded under the Shaklee180 name.

This is a system I have used for over 8 years now. (2015)  I used it to drop 55 pounds and have continued using it as part of my daily lifestyle choices to maintain that weight loss. (8+ years now AND 60 POUNDS LOST…)

As the Holidays approach and you have difficulties slipping into that festive New Year’s dress or those dress pants, if your dress shirt seems to have shrunk in the dryer, contact me.  I can get you starting to feel good fast, and keep those close fitting and looking “Oh, it’s so sexy”

Simple Movement can make a BIG difference!

Just give it a try!

Walking_Visual_-_Feel_Good_Fast

Contact me for more information on getting your 180 to better health started today!

I want to Feel Good Fast

A few tips on how to begin to Feel Good Fast.

In today’s society, everyone wants everything FAST! NOW! IMMEDIATELY! LIKE YESTERDAY!

If your goal is to Feel Good Fast there are a few things you can do to begin getting there.  Here are a few tips.

  1. Focus on what is good.  No matter how tiny the detail. Focus on SEEING what is GOOD.  Allow yourself to let the not-so-good pass away.
  2. Think about what you are putting into your mouth before you put it there. 
    • dirty hands – wash them, its cold and flu season
    • junk food – there are better fast food options
    • soda pop – water, herbal teas, even A cup of coffee is better
  3. Think about Moving. Move your body, begin making a conscious decision to take the stairs one floor rather than the elevator.  Park 2 spaces farther from the store. Walk to the mailbox and back TWICE.   Just get moving.  Add a bit more to your daily grind, and make it a pleasant choice – NOT a requirement. 
  4. Invite friends to join you in the journey.
  5. Be patient, you didn’t get to the place you are over night, it takes time to get out of shape and develop degenerative diseases, and time to get that health back.
  6. Ask for help. We are here to support you through:
    • Support Groups
    • Education
    • Personal Consultations
    • Resources

Power of 7

Contact me for additional information on how you, too, can begin to Feel Good Fast

What are Polyphenols?

Consuming polyphenols is a great way to pay attention to prevention and begin to Feel Good Fast.

Power Up With Polyphenols

Arthritis: The #1 Cause of Disability
Can you believe how amazing plants are? They contain their very own medicine cabinet full of naturally occurring substances that help defend against oxidative stress, disease, and other environmental threats. Over the past few decades, scientists have begun to discover that plant-based polyphenols can also help defend human health.

Initially, polyphenolic research focused on the antioxidant potential of these plant compounds, and how this could help protect us against heart disease and various types of cancers. Today, scientists have expanded their research and are finding that polyphenols may help defend our health in other ways. Here are a few highlights of this research:

  • Polyphenols have been found to increase the number of mitochondria—energy producing “power plants” found in all of our cells. Mitochondria are known to decline with age.
  • In a recently published study, a unique combination of polyphenols (resveratrol plus muscadine grape,extract) was found to protect against the potentially damaging effects of a high–fat, high-carb meal by blunting inflammation and oxidative stress. This study was novel in that it was one of the first human studies to show that this combination of powerful plant compounds activated a key genetic regulator called Nrf2. Some scientists believe Nrf2 may be the master genetic regulator of cellular stress resistance and strongly impact the aging process.
  • Some, but not all, polyphenols have been shown to inhibit the formation of AGE proteins in laboratory studies. AGE proteins occur with normal aging. They may be acerbated by unhealthy eating habits, and damage our cells through a process called cross-linking. Researchers at the University of Georgia found that a blend of polyphenols, including muscadine grapes, inhibited age protein formation better than resveratrol alone.

So, like those amazing plants, power up your defenses with more polyphenols. Watch your intake of high-fat, high-carb foods that promote inflammation, boost your intake of antioxidant nutrients like vitamins C and E, and selenium. And look to power up your polyphenol intake with a healthy plant–based diet and supplements containing a broad spectrum of well researched polyphenols.

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Source:  http://member.myshaklee.com/us/en/article/HealthScience1112P02-feb8351c374d224d003c6e189b710ada?campaign_id=hs:nov:article%202

Finding Healthy Snacks

Hungry

I saw some really good advice the other day.  When someone offers you something not included in your diet, instead of saying I can’t have that, answer them with I don’t eat that.  (for my daughter that is corn products, for me that includes foods laden with tons or refined sugars)

The difference in those two words is immense. Can’t implies you are not allowed, you are prohibited, it is against the rules.  Don’t implies it is my choice and desire to nurture myself with this decision.  A simple, yet profound difference.

So, once you decide you don’t want something as a snack, what are some healthy choices that will not knock you off your lead lap to regaining/maintaining the health you desire. 

Please enjoy this list of “free” produce snack ideas.  I gathered this information from the book, Why Do I Feel This Way? – Understanding Your Body…Discover Your Solutions ~Gaber, RHN & Day, RDC.  These colleagues of mine have spent a lifetime using nutrition to maintain and regain health.

If you would like more information on healthy snack options, contact me.

Attention to Prevention–Water and other Drinks

The beginning of a healthy lifestyle does NOT begin with a prescription or something man has invented… it begins with the simple, life-giving, pure water.

I talk a lot about water, but it is so important in our day to day lives let alone in our attempts to avoid the major degenerative diseases. It’s the starting point when beginning a weight loss program, or a lifestyle change toward better health!

Our daily goal should be to drink the appropriate amount of water.

(Your weight in pounds/2 = your daily goal in ounces of water)

Life giving Water

The goal of drinking fluids is to hydrate your body. (not dehydrate)

Water Does many, many things for our bodies.  It flushes toxins our bodies, assists with digestion and metabolism, keeps our kidneys healthy, and even enhances brain function.  Amazing cool clean water.

When choosing what to drink, here’s a helpful chart.

Hydrating (in order of value)               Dehydrating

Purified Water

Coffee
Tap Water Caffeinated tea
Bottled Water Beer
Juice –fresh-squeezed better Wine
Herbal teas, non-caffeine All other alcoholic drinks
Milk & non-milk(soy,rice,almond) Carbonated soda w/ caffeine
Carbonated soda w/o caffeine  

(information from Treasures of Health Nutrition Manual by, Reeder & Dr. Couey)

For more information on ways water could assist you in improving your health, please contact me.

Just cuz ya eat it, doesn’t mean it will nourish your body.

People in the US consume more food, per capita, than any other nation.

We also are top contenders for the most coronary/heart disease, stroke, cancers, diabetes, and hypertension.

 

Food Not Nutrition

 

Its not too late to make a change.  Once we begin feeding our body what it needs to build healthy, happy cells the body begins getting stronger and better able to correct issues that lead to those top, silent killers.

Sound Nutrition is the Best way to Build up your Resistance to Illness

How to build resistance

It sounds so easy, and it is when you begin working toward better nutritional choices for your body, one step at a time.

There are many factors that contribute to a compromised immune system. AKA: the reasons some people get sick much easier than others.

 

Here are 5 steps to help improve your immune system.  We will look closer at these 5 topics in the future.

  1. The nutritional content of the foods they eat – better nutrition=better cells in the body=stronger immunity
  2. The stress levels you allow to build up in your body – try a Mindfully Based Stress Reduction course, or the monthly massage to help melt some of those stresses away.
  3. Reduce the amount of poisons you are exposed to on a daily basis
    1. Cleaners in your home that you inhale or absorb through the skin
    2. Products you rub on your body & absorb through the skin
    3. Air fresheners that basically numb your sniffer.
  4. Exercise AT LEAST 10 minutes a day, 30-40 is preferred
  5. Keep a positive attitude

For more information on these 5 steps or other topics we discuss here, feel free to contact me.

Attention to Prevention and a Bit More…

We’ve heard the news reports, we’ve seen the studies, it is becoming common knowledge that attention to prevention can assist us in living with a higher quality of life for a longer period of time, than if we continue to abuse our bodies.

Increase in Cancer Diabetes Heart Disease 1999-2009

Yet, studies continue to show that 9 out of 10 heart patients, when told to change their diets or die, do NOT change their diets.

A report from TIME, June 22, 2009, provided these statistics. If our medical treatments and options are getting better, then why are these numbers still on the rise?

What can I, as an individual, do to combat this increase in prevalence of debilitating diseases? Continue reading →