Enjoy the Ride

Health and Wellness is a life long journey. It's OK to set goals but don't stress yourself out. Improving upon yourself is an enjoyable experience. Getting on the scale everyday and depriving yourself food defeats the purpose of creating a healthy lifestyle. Take exercise slow, and enjoy food in moderation. You will enjoy yourself more and health and wellness will evolve into your lifestyle instead of something you dread on a regular basis. 

Boost Metabolism Naturally

Green Tea, Iodine, and Chromium has been shown to boost metabolism, increase energy and aid in weight-loss. Green Tea contains health-promoting polyphenols, including EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate. A number of studies suggest it helps support healthy metabolic rate and weight-loss. Iodine is a trace mineral involved in the production of thyroid hormones that regulate the basal metabolic rate which affects the body's rate of calorie burn. Chromium plays an important role in glucose utilization and is required for the release of energy from glucose. it is now generally recognized as helping maintain healthy blood sugar levels for those already in the normal range. 

Diabetes and Lycopene

Diabetes is powerfully driven by oxidation and inflammation. Diabetes may be able to protect themselves by increasing their lycopene intake; studies show that high consumption of tomato products can improve resistance to oxidation in people with 

type II diabetes. Diabetics with the highest blood lycopene levels also have a greater glucose tolerance than do those with lower lycopene levels. 

Protect Yourself Against Food

Heavily cooked foods inflict massive damage to the genes. According to the University of Minnesota women who ate overcooked hamburgers had a 50% greater risk of breast cancer than women who ate rare or medium hamburger. An Iowa Women's Health Study found that women who consistently eat well-done steak, hamburgers, and bacon have a 4.62 fold increased risk of breast cancer.

Cooking for Health

How food is cooked has a lot to do with whether it prevents or causes disease. An example is fish. People who eat fish have fewer heart attacks. People who eat more fried fish have higher increases of heart disease. Depending on the cooking method, the same food can either accelerate obesity or aid in weight loss. 

Lose More Weight

Women taking multivitamins were less hungry while losing weight on a diet and exercise program, and men on the program lost more weight with multivitamins, according to a Canadian study published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Researchers noted that nutrient deficiencies may interfere with hormones that normally turn off hunger during and after meals, and multivitamins can correct the problem. 

Use Support Groups To Lose Weight

Support groups are a great way to lose weight. On your journey there will be obstacles to you obtaining your goals. Sometimes you will be the obstacle. When you have a good support group they remind you of you goals and keep you on track. When you feel like quitting they are there. Even when you are giving it your all, sometimes you still need an extra push to take to the next level. Your group will be there for you. surround yourself with positive people to meet your goals. 

The New Year Health Plan!

I know everyone is excited about their New Year's resolutions. But before you get overly excited there are a few things to keep in mind. 

• Start slow- over doing exercise or dieting to strictly can be more detrimental than helpful. Remember slow and steady wins the race.

• Seek out professionals- everyone has an opinion on what you should be doing, but how do you know what to believe. Asking a professional can keep you from making costly mistakes and hurting yourself. 

• Have fun- seek out activities that are enjoyable. The more fun you have the more likely you are to stay committed. Everything won't be fun, but the challenge is to find your enjoyment in the results.

Small Health Steps To Take For A Better New Year

Don't wait until the New Year to start being healthy. Start now, but start slow. Make small healthy habits now to make the New Year transition much easier. For example:

• Take the stairs instead of the escalator
• Park away from the store instead of right in front
• Walk to distances that's under a mile instead of driving
• Eat fruit or nuts for stacks instead of cookies 
• Enjoy your favorite meats and veggies but skip on the rice
• Add an extra cup of water to your daily intake

Don't Wait! Start small, but start now and you will be happy you did. 

Quick Holiday Eating Tips For You

Start your holiday off with a fun run. Lots of communities and recreation centers have Turkey runs. Get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise before eating your holiday feast later on. Eat during the day. Do not go the entire day without eating, so you can pig out later. Your digestive system and your waist-line will thank you later. Eat more meats and greens. Limit the amount of simple carbohydrates you take in. Remember its one day of eating and drinking but the damage can last for weeks.  

Good Books for Your Health

Reading a variety of good food and nutrition books are a good way to kick star your wellness program. Here are a few: 

• 21-Day Weight Loss Kick Start by Neal D. Barnard, MD
• The Blood Sugar Solution by mark Hyman, MD
• Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, MD
• The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, PhD
• It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig
• The Omnivore's Dilemma

There are a lot more, but this is a good start. 

Balance Your Hormones for Optimal Health

Hormone imbalances are becoming more common among women in their 30's and after 40, the odds of unpleasant menopause-related symptoms are greater today than ever before. Here is what can help you restore your hormonal balance and health. 

• Diet: limit carbohydrates, and eat plenty of fresh vegetables with lean protein
• Exercise: exercise that has a relaxing effect, such as yoga or gentle aerobics, helps to restore balance.
• Toxins: avoid them in food, skin care, and household products. Look for BPA-free plastics and cans.
• Stress Management: get enough sleep, manage schedules to avoid unnecessary stress, and allow time for activities you find relaxing. 
• Chaste Berry: also called vitex, the herb, is used to relieve PMS, irregular periods, and menopausal discomfort
• Isoflavones: these are plant sources of estrogen that increases levels of the hormone throughout the body. 

Try these suggestions, part 2 coming soon!

Circuit Training

People are moving away from commercial gyms to Recreations Center's, home gym's, and Condo facilities. Most of these locations are fitted with preset circuit machines. You can still get a great workout with free weights. Here are some tips: move quickly from exercise to exercise, get creative, perform reps to failure at 25 to 30 on each move, and have fun.

Take Care of Your Brain

Although the brain is only 2 percent of the body's weight, it uses a whopping 20 percent of its oxygen supply, as well as 20 percent of blood flow. Feed your brain daily with oxygen from exercise, healthy essential fatty acids, and at least 64oz of water daily. 

Encouraging Healthy Children

Not getting enough physical activity has been shown to cause weight gain in children. Encourage children to play at least 30 to 60 minutes a day. Go for family walks or bike rides. Play sports or join a boy's and girl's club. Walk instead of riding in a car.

Limit TV and video games to no more than one hour a day. Remove the TV from the child's bedroom. Jump rope, dance skate, or play Frisbee with your child. Take your family to the park or pool. 

Exercise to Boost Your Immunity

Adding 30 minutes per day of brisk walking (walking at a pace that makes it hard to carry on a conversation) will have a profound impact on boosting your immune function. Science has repeatedly shown us that getting regular exercise will improve our overall immune function. 

The impact on our immune system is two-fold: increased immune cell production and stress reduction. Stress is one of the leading causes of a weakened immune system. 

Diet for the Season

According  to the David Foreman, RPh., N.D. diet plays a large role in immune system support. One way to boost your immune system is to avoid sugar and other white foods like pasta, bread, cake, and honey. These type foods make your immune cells ineffective at fighting off disease for extended periods of time. Dairy should also be avoided because it thickens mucous, which can lead to infection. 

Instead, a diet high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and lean cuts of meats can help your immune system function properly. 

Lose Weight the Right Way

I have to give Jordin Sparks a round of applause. She went about her weight loss the right way. She made it a lifestyle change. She lost 50 lbs in 18 months, which is the right amount of time to loose 50 lbs if done safe. She broke it down into three phases. No starvation nothing extreme. She focused on mixing exercise and cardio for workouts. She controlled her food portions and did not snack mindlessly. When she did snack it was something healthy like apple chips, berries, and Greek yogurt. One of the biggest things i noticed is that she maintained a positive attitude and look for quick results. Another hand clap for Jordin Sparks. Great Job!

Battling Back Pain

Unfortunately back pain is very common in the U.S. Most people go about treating it the wrong way. It is very common for people with back pain to be less active. We tend to lay around not wanting to worsen the pain. But the less active we become the more we increase stiffness, weaken the muscle and become prone to injury and pain. The solution is to opt for low impact exercises, increase stretching, and increase your water intake. 

Avoid Crave Snacking

In order to decrease crave snacking, you have to avoid simple sugars and refined foods. Refined foods lack the proper nutrients your body needs. To compensate your body wants to eat more to get the what it really needs: vitamins, minerals, protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates. When you eat refined foods, you have to eat more calories to get the right amount of nutrients which leads to weight gain.