Saturday, April 21, 2012

4 Steps To STOP Eating Sugar.

What happens to your body when you eat sugar?
First the body goes into a "sugar shock" spiking insulin levels and creating a brief energy rush. After the body recovers from the shock, it starts working furiously to recover its internal balance by the raiding of vital nutrients in order to process sugar.
This can lead to our bodies becoming acidic. In other words... sugar can alter our entire blood chemistry research shows that just two teaspoons of sugar can throw off your chemical balance.




4 Steps To STOP Eating Sugar.

Step 1   You need to decide to what extent you want to remove sugar from your diet. If you remove all sugar it will, after a few days, stop the cravings. If you choose to keep eating some sugar like fruit juice and dried fruit you will still better your health because you’re eliminating refined sugar, but you will still have the cravings for sugar.

Step 2   Remove all sugar from your house, everything. Go to the store and buy meals enough for 3 days. Do not go back to the store once you have bought your weekend of groceries. You will want to go sugar free on the weekend because there will be no temptation around. It’s a good idea not to go anywhere where you will have the opportunity to buy any sugar. Stay away from the mall, friends houses etc…

Step 3   Day one might be easy. Day two will be anything but easy. You will find yourself going through all the cupboards looking for any kind of sweet that you can find. I hope you got rid of the hot chocolate, flavored yogurt and everything else, if not you WILL eat it. It is an addiction; you will not be able to control yourself.

Step 4  Day three will be easier but don’t think that you’re off the hook yet. One slip up and you’ll have to start all over. Keep eating healthy. Keep drinking lots of water. If you have trouble drinking lots of water then drink some green tea. You can drink a flavored tea but please don’t slip up and add sugar to it. If you have decided to completely stop eating all sugar you will notice that after a few weeks if you have a sip of fruit juice you will think it’s too sweet.


Refined sugar contains no fiber, no minerals, no proteins, no fats, no enzymes, only empty calories. What happens when you eat a refined carbohydrate like sugar? Your body must borrow vital nutrients from healthy cells to metabolize the incomplete food. Calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium are taken from various parts of the body to make use of the sugar. Many times, so much calcium is used to neutralize the effects of sugar that the bones become osteoporotic due to the withdrawn calcium.

Likewise, the teeth are affected and they lose their components until decay occurs and you lose teeth!

...Refined sugar is void of all nutrients, consequently it causes the body to deplete its own stores of various vitamins, minerals and enzymes. If sugar consumption is continued, an over-acid condition results, and more minerals are needed from deep in the body to correct the imbalance. If the body is lacking the nutrients used to metabolize sugar, it will not be able to properly handle and rid itself of the poisonous residues.


Sugar feeds cancer. Cutting out sugar cuts food supply to the cancer cells.
Soda is a significant contributor to obesity.
Drinking a single can a day of sugary drinks translates to more than a pound of weight gain every month.

Diet soda is just as likely to cause weight gain as regular, or even more -- it may sound counter intuitive, but people who drink diet soft drinks actually don’t lose weight.

Artificial sweeteners induce a whole set of physiologic and hormonal responses that actually make you gain weight.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

3 tips for a Rock-Solid Stomach


1. Keep Your Abs Engaged. Your core region (lower back, abs and glutes) make up your “stabilizer” muscle group. This powerhouse is constantly at work when you’re doing ANY kind of workout, so take advantage of this! When you’re lifting weights, or doing anything that uses your stabilizer muscles, consciously tap into that strength—keep your abs tight and posture solid, and you’ll see big results.
2. Use Compound Movements.  When targeting your abs, compound exercises are better than isolated ones. Why not work multiple muscle groups at once? Some compound movements that work the whole ab region include Planks and the Bicycle Maneuver:
     For Planks, lie face down, forearms and toes pressed into the floor, and lift your hips up off the floor. Engage your abs, straighten your back and hold this position for as long as you can. Trust us, you’ll feel your entire ab region engaged! 



  • For Bicycle Maneuver, lie with your back on the floor, hands behind your head and elbows spread wide. Keeping your lower back pressed into the floor and abs contracted, crunch across the body—one elbow to the opposite knee. Alternate continuously. This will work more muscles than a standard crunch.  Add a fitness ball to increase strength.





3. Eat Protein.  Protein will allow your body to rebuild muscle after your workouts. Great sources include lean meat, nuts, eggs, cheese and legumes. Another excellent source of protein is a protein shake, which can be one of your 5-6 daily meals. A whey or soy protein powder, when mixed with soy or skim milk, can give you roughly 20 grams of protein. 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

3 Tips to Improve Your Posture



Establishing good posture habits involves more than just standing up straight. It means allowing your bones, ligaments and tendons (not your muscles) to support your body weight. When your muscles must bear your body weight and move it at the same time, they can't relax. Constricted muscles don't move freely or efficiently, causing pain and sometimes injury.
Postural alignment plays an important "support" role whenever your foot hits the ground. If your muscles have to support your body weight with each step, you'll tire more quickly. If you're bent at the waist, your lower back, quadriceps and neck muscles will be carrying your weight, which makes for inefficient running and post-workout soreness.
Focus your attention on the line your spine makes as it runs from the top of your head to the end of your tailbone. Return your attention to your spine as often as possible all day long, no matter what you're doing. Let it become a daily practice.
Don't run bent at the waist. Finishing a run with soreness in your lower back usually indicates you've been running bent at the waist. Instead, Chi Running encourages you to allow gravity to pull you forward by leaning slightly from the ankles, not the waist. Throughout your runs, make sure you're leaning from the ankles and not stressing your lower back muscles.
Engage your core by leveling your pelvis. Start by standing with your feet parallel and hip width apart. Imagine you have a string attached to the top of your head that is pulling you up, making you tall and straight. Drop your chin slightly and look straight ahead. Next, pull up on your pubic bone with your lower abdominal muscles while relaxing your glutes. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Doing this exercise throughout your day will strengthen your abs, allowing you to hold your posture straighter while running, swimming, sitting, standing, or even driving your car.
Practice initiating all movement from your core, the largest muscle group in your body, rather than the smaller muscles of your extremities.
The benefits of good posture are endless, and you can practice it anywhere, anytime. Whether you're running, sitting, or even sleeping, your whole body will thank you.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Weight lift to reach fitness goals and lose weight!

Strength training exercises are important for your good health, weight loss and fitness success.  Bottom line: If you do not use weight lifting exercise on a regular basis you simply will not reach your goals.

Your health is the most valuable asset you have…without it you'll inevitably spend everything you have, financially and emotionally, to get it back!


Strength training is important regardless of your age and becomes even more critical after age 30.

There are many ways that you can incorporate it into your life even if you think you can't.

Weight lifting on a repeated basis will help you to improve your physical appearance, fitness level and reduce your risk of health problems like heart disease.

Strength exercises on a regular basis will help you lose a lot of weight, a lot more than any cardio exercise ever could.

In addition, before doing any weight lifting, make sure you warm up your muscles properly. Don't do any weight lifting when your muscles are cold.

Warm up 5 to 10 minutes on a stationary bike, treadmill, etc. is sufficient.

You know that weight lifting is good for you, so make it a part of your every day routine. You can effectively exercise while keeping up with your other everyday-jobs.

When I’m out for a walk with my dogs, I find a bench or short wall and do push ups to fatigue, triceps dips and then repeat.

Strength training helps you lose weight, improves your health so you can live a longer and more productive life.  Be sure to include strength training exercises in your over-all exercise plan.


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Thursday, October 20, 2011

How You Can Make Fitness and Nutrition a Lifestyle.

It's hard to admit this but, many years ago my diet consisted of diet coke and licorice or gummy bears.  I was in my 20’s and 30's and didn’t think a thing about it at the time.  Little did I know what my diet was doing do my bones, my major organs and my health.  


If only I could go back in time and start over with the knowledge I have now.
When I turned 40 (many years ago), I decided to make major lifestyle changes.  I've always loved to exercise, but never really thought too much about what I was eating.  I started teaching fitness in my 40's.
I stopped eating sugar, drinking soda pop, energy drinks, basically anything white, accept sea food.  I focus on what fuels my body for energy and nutrition.  Doing this will change your life and your children’s life.  Teach your children young the value of good nutrition.  Today. I make a conscious choice to eat a healthy diet.   I'm still teaching and love it.  
'How do you find the time to work out?' You don't: You make time. If you wait until you find time, you'll never work out.
If you are just starting to exercise, entering the world of fitness machines, exercise, diet and nutrition can be difficult.
After a few moments of peddling, your lungs gasp for air as the body screams, “What are you trying to do? Do you hate me?” Horror sets in as you realize how far your health has deteriorated. After only 20 minutes, you drive home to collapse on the sofa. Images from the gym haunt your mind: sculpted muscles and tanned, sleek bodies. “I could never look like that. This is me, so I might as well accept it.” Desperation calls for action. Staring wide-eyed at your vacuum cleaner, you consider Liposuction. But that’s just too radical.
Most people connect discipline with pain. It’s no fun forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do. But if you are achieving an important goal, discipline becomes much easier. An athlete training for the Olympics does not have a grinding battle with willpower every day. Although there are battles, it becomes easier as the routine becomes a lifestyle.
Discipline in changing your eating habits becomes easy when you are doing it and difficult when you are not. But with patience, the right attitude, and keeping your mind on the goal, discipline becomes second nature. You don’t have to force yourself. It just comes naturally. That is the way it should be.
To gain discipline, you have to face pain. The more you face it, the more you gain confidence and determination. It is an exhilarating high to run five miles after you’re conditioned to running. It hurts to start, but as your training progresses, there is a feeling of freedom and joy.
Facing Challenge
Challenge is exhilarating. We love competition for that reason. It challenges us to give our best.
We need challenge to grow. The greater the challenge, the greater the growth. That is why dreams are important; they bring us to the edge of challenge.
Decision Power
When you ate the donuts, you made a decision. They comforted you and led you down the path of sugar-coated, chocolate-dipped, cream-filled pleasures. When the alarm clock rang and you went back to sleep, you made a decision. When you ate another piece of pie, you made a decision. 

When you are laying on the couch watching TV instead of exercising, you made a decision. Each decision was a path, the easy road where you decided to give into your cravings, urges and laziness.
Most people make New Year’s resolutions. They decide to quit smoking, start exercising and lose weight. Four days later, they’re drowning in nicotine, pizza and reruns. Their resolution failed the test.
Where is the point where you have finally had enough and you make those resolute, I’ve-had-enough, never-go-back-again decisions? The ones that endure pain and stand the test of time. Those are the decisions that change our lives. We don’t argue with those decisions because we know the answer is, NO! They are resolute. Gandhi stood resolute and unbending before threats of pain, and freed India. That is the power of an unmovable, unshakable, unbending, uncompromising decision. 
It is the power that shakes empires and inspires millions.
Life-changing decisions don’t pop into our heads while watching TV. They are decisions that are made deep within us. You make hundreds of decisions each day. Most are decided by habit. Don’t do that. Make your decisions, conscious of the path on which they are taking you. Choose decisions that challenge and cause growth. Make the decisions that force change for the better.
How badly do you want to be free from food addiction?  Are you willing to face the ugly giant called hunger? You have the power to form life-changing decisions, but only if you are willing to face the challenges.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Stress Can Cause Weight Gain & Effect Your Health Here's How.




Today’s life is faster than ever, filled with constant change, uncertainty and stress.





Because of the constant demands placed on us at work, at home, or we may really be in danger, our bodies respond like we're about to be harmed and need to fight for our lives. Our bodies respond to this need with a burst of energy, shifts in our metabolism, blood flow, and other changes.


STRESS not only affects your weight, but your health.



The stress hormone called cortisol is one of the reasons. While under stress, the fight or flight response is triggered in our bodies, leading to the release of various hormones.




We've known for a long time that depression and chronic pain are closely related in many ways. Both conditions share some of the same underlying biochemistry (related to stress hormones such as cortisol and inflammatory compounds such as cytokines) and people with depression tend to experience more episodes of chronic pain (and vice versa). Indeed, physical pain can undoubtedly make psychological pain (depression) worse - likely due to the finding that inflammation is known to worsen and perhaps evencause depression in many people. You might find it interesting to know that cytokines (inflammatory hormone-like chemicals produced in the body)



Conventional wisdom would suggest that controlling depression might also help to control pain - and that reducing pain would help to alleviate depression. However, the research findings in the PNAS article suggest that painkiller drugs may actually interfere with the activity of antidepressant drugs - potentially making depression worse.



4 ways Chronic stress can raise cortisol levels which contribute to weight gain and effect your health are:

Metabolism -- Too much cortisol can slow your metabolism, causing more weight gain than you would normally experience. This also makes dieting more difficult.

Blood Sugar -- Prolonged stress can alter your blood sugar levels, causing mood swings, fatigue, and conditions like hyperglycemia. Too much stress has even been linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health concerns that can lead to greater health problems, like heart attacks and diabetes.

Fat Storage -- Excessive stress even affects where we tend to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat. Unfortunately, abdominal fat is not only aesthetically undesirable, it’s linked with greater health risks than fat stored in other areas of the body.

If you remain in the state of chronic stress for a long period of time your health becomes at risk. One being high blood pressure, a potentially dangerous health condition.
“Stress can actually cause weight gain, particularly around the tummy,” Why? Because physical and emotional stress activates the release of cortisol, a steroid that slows metabolism


When your body is under the stress response, your cortisol and insulin levels raise. These two hormones tend to track each other, and when your cortisol is consistently elevated under a chronic low-level stress response, you’ll likely notice that you have difficulty losing weight or building muscle.


Food Cravings -- People experiencing chronic stress tend to crave more fatty, salty and sugary foods. This includes sweets, processed food and other things that aren’t as good for you. These foods are typically less healthy and lead to increased weight gain.

Other Ways Stress and Weight Gain are connected.

Emotional Eating – Not only can increased levels of cortisol make you crave unhealthy food, but excess nervous energy can often cause you to eat more than you normally would. Have you ever found yourself scouring the kitchen for a snack, or absently munching on junk food when you’re stressed, but not really hungry?

Fast Food -- One of the big reasons we’re seeing more obesity in our society today is that people are too stressed and busy to make healthy dinners at home, often opting to get fast food a the nearest drive-thru instead.

Too Busy to Exercise -- With all the demands on your schedule, exercise may be one of the last things on your to-do list. If so, you’re not alone. Americans live a more sedentary lifestyle than we have in past generations, yet our minds seem to be racing from everything we have to do. Unfortunately, from sitting in traffic, clocking hours at our desks, and plopping in front of the TV in exhaustion at the end of the day, exercise often goes by the wayside.

Today’s so-called solutions including prescription drugs, energy drinks, coffee, etc. aren’t combating the problem, they’re compounding the problem.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to reverse the pattern of weight gain and actually reduce your stress level and waistline at the same time. I recommend you take a yoga class 3 times a week, meditation on a regular basis and lots of good deep breathing.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Change Your Life, Just 20 Minutes of Exercise a Day,


Just 20 minutes of regular exercise every single day can have a profound effect on your life, your health and your lifestyle.

With just 20 minutes a day, you can promote weight loss.
With 20 minutes a day, you can decrease how much stress you experience.
With 20 minutes a day, you can achieve the goals you set out for yourself.

Changing Your Life

Making a change in your life is about exerting a form of control over your life and your choices. 20 minutes a day is one of those changes that you can make and it's one that most of us - even at our busiest can find 20 minutes for.

"Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it." -Unknown Author
5 Ways to get motivated to walk!

1. Get a Walking Buddy

Keep each other motivated no matter what the weather or other excuses is imperative. The conversation and protein smoothie after are great ways to make even a boring walk a lot of fun.

2. Get New Gear
Nothing is more motivating then getting some brand new walking shoes, a great outfit, that new ipod to make the time go quickly. Pedometers, speed and heart rate monitors can also get you moving because we all want to know how far we walked, what our target heart rate is and how many calories we burned. Walking gadgets can make walking a little more fun and give you a reason to get out the door to achieve your next goal.

3. Get committed!
Register for a Charity Walk or sign up for a fun run (no one says you need to run, you can walk instead) so that you have a goal and a commitment. By telling others you will ten be more likely to stay the path and will be more motivated towards your goal knowing that you must train to endure the event.

4. Keep a Walking Journal
Keep track of your walking minutes, steps, or mileage in a journal. Total up each week to see how you are progressing. Set yourself a reasonable goal and you will find that attaining that goal will motivate you enough to maintain your walking schedule. There is even various software applications available to do all the calculations for you.

5. Choose the Right Time and Have Fun!
What is the best time to walk? Many people find that if they commit to early morning walks, there are fewer distractions as may commonly pop up in the afternoon or evening. But if you hate mornings and feel most energetic later in the day - that should be your walking time. To stay motivated, analyze your habits and choose the time that will work best for you. Keep it realistic and most of all fun, and you'll find walking the best route to good physical fitness and health well into your elder years.