Today’s Daily Directive. - Look at what is right in your life. I want you to identify at least 5 things that you love about your life. Genuinely LOVE. We spend a majority of our time looking at what is wrong. Our house is too (old, small, outdated, big, wrong location), our children are too (whiney, nagging, know it all, disobedient, irresponsible, ungrateful, demanding), our spouses are too (controlling, inattentive, unsupportive, lazy, work aphonics), our bodies are too (fat, slow, achy, stressed) our clothes are too (tight, out of fashion, not properly fitted) and so on.
You can fill in your own blanks about the things in you life that you constantly focus on that some how seem to fall short. For today, focus on what is right. Focus on what you have to be proud of, what you genuinely love about where you live, how you spend your time, your career, your children, parents, spouse, clothes, body, etc. Take today to say something good about each aspect of your life (emotionally, socially, personally, socially, physically, spiritually). That’s it, just focus on what’s right! You deserve it and you’ll feel great. DO NOT let your mind wander to the negative today.
Today’s Re-Powering Information: I wanted to share a simple concept with you that will help you achieve any goal you set you mind to.
It’s real simple… here we go!
You cannot have internal conflict in your goals and beliefs.
For example:
You cannot have a goal of a fit body, and also have a belief that exercise is hard work.
You cannot attain a large amount of wealth if you think wealthy people are selfish.
You cannot live in a lean body if you think you can’t cook healthy foods
You cannot have a successful relationship if you think a relationship stifles who you are.
You cannot make wise food choices to enhance your health if you also tell yourself that healthy foods are not tasty.
So, in short, pause for a moment and assess. Do you have any conflicting beliefs or values which hold you back? If you find they exist, get to the root of the negative believe and learn why the conflict exists. Once you do, you will quickly find yourself moving towards your goals. Turn around your limiting beliefs and a whole new world of possibilities will open up.
The most important quality for success in entrepreneurship and in life is the quality of optimism. Optimists have an unrealistic expectation of success. As a result, they are willing to try far more things without becoming discouraged. In addition, because of their unrealistically positive attitude, they are willing to persist much longer than the average person. Optimism is a wonderful quality.
Simple . . . change your thinking and change your outcomes!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Negative Nancy News
Today’s Re-Powering Information: Are you as tired as me hearing about the bad economy and the economic downturn? You must be b/c I don’t even watch the news and I am fed up. I understand that there are people hurting, however it makes more sense to do something about it than to listen to it and buy into it. This can put your mind in the gutter. You have 100% control over your mindset. You have complete control over your emotions and the decisions you make. Mindset is a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations. To simplify, it means you do the things you do based on what goes on in your mind at the current period of time.
Reactive people simply react to what’s happening around them and transform themselves into a negative mindset. Proactive people choose how they walk, talk, and feel regardless of the conditions around them enabling them to have a positive mindset. This came from a blog I found on the topic.
Negative News Equals Negative Mindset
Hanging around with negative people will lower your standards which I compare to immersing yourself with negative news. Think about it, is the news really that irresistibly interesting? “2 suspects were sent to jail today on suspicion of murdering their former teacher…” “The economy is doing terrible, 65,000 jobs were lost last month alone…” Why is it necessary to know this information? What good comes from this? Do you believe you are setting yourself up for a successful life? Do you really need to fill in that void with a daily “news fix”?
What do people get when they watch the news
* Shootings
* Murders
* Rapes
* Losing jobs
* Economic meltdown
* Mortgage crisis
* Real estate gone bad
* War
* Regulation
This is not productive. In fact the opposite is true. If you find someone wallowing about the down economy, find a way to turn it around or choose not to participate in the conversation.
Positive News Equals Positive Mindset
Whether you are looking to become wealthy or spiritually connected, you have a much better chance doing so by being around the right people. What you see on TV or read online has the same impact. The more positive news you read, the quicker you will allow yourself to emerge in positive thoughts. Positive thinking really does help you move forward when it is followed by action. Positive thinking is an ongoing action, meaning you must exert energy to keep your mind at a positive state. Read, watch, and listen to more positive news.
Why is the Media Persistent About Providing Negative News?
The media is like any other business, the only way it survives is by making profit for its shareholders. The media is only interested in making money which is done by advertising. The more people that watch, the more money they will make. If someone has the option on which they would rather see, a bank getting robbed compared to healthy babies being born, the answer would be obvious. The media is aware that more people would watch the story about the bank robbery compared to the new babies. This translates into people prefer negative stories rather than positive.
Empower Yourself and the World
Since we cannot simply boycott the news, how about we put 100% focus on positive news. The media will deliver what the public wants. If the public would rather be informed of more positive news compared to negative, that is what they will begin to deliver. You have the power to control the news. Every person who decides that they would rather better themselves by viewing positive news would see the dramatic impact in their mindset. Imagine the influence if 1 million people across the United States made the decision to ONLY watch positive news from now on. The outcome would be that those one million people would almost instantly see a change in their mindset which would allow them to focus on much more productive or spiritually enlightening things. Those 1 million people will create a ripple effect and possibly even help the economy.
Do you think this is possible? Can we really make vast change in the way we live our lives? Do we have the ability to influence the media conglomerate? Martin Luther King did and succeeded. Gandhi made a difference. Rosa Parks took the chance. Why wait around for someone else to take action when we have the power to simply do it? Only focus on positive news! Only talk about positive news. Only ASK for positive news. Start the movement today!
End
Have an outstanding news free day!
Reactive people simply react to what’s happening around them and transform themselves into a negative mindset. Proactive people choose how they walk, talk, and feel regardless of the conditions around them enabling them to have a positive mindset. This came from a blog I found on the topic.
Negative News Equals Negative Mindset
Hanging around with negative people will lower your standards which I compare to immersing yourself with negative news. Think about it, is the news really that irresistibly interesting? “2 suspects were sent to jail today on suspicion of murdering their former teacher…” “The economy is doing terrible, 65,000 jobs were lost last month alone…” Why is it necessary to know this information? What good comes from this? Do you believe you are setting yourself up for a successful life? Do you really need to fill in that void with a daily “news fix”?
What do people get when they watch the news
* Shootings
* Murders
* Rapes
* Losing jobs
* Economic meltdown
* Mortgage crisis
* Real estate gone bad
* War
* Regulation
This is not productive. In fact the opposite is true. If you find someone wallowing about the down economy, find a way to turn it around or choose not to participate in the conversation.
Positive News Equals Positive Mindset
Whether you are looking to become wealthy or spiritually connected, you have a much better chance doing so by being around the right people. What you see on TV or read online has the same impact. The more positive news you read, the quicker you will allow yourself to emerge in positive thoughts. Positive thinking really does help you move forward when it is followed by action. Positive thinking is an ongoing action, meaning you must exert energy to keep your mind at a positive state. Read, watch, and listen to more positive news.
Why is the Media Persistent About Providing Negative News?
The media is like any other business, the only way it survives is by making profit for its shareholders. The media is only interested in making money which is done by advertising. The more people that watch, the more money they will make. If someone has the option on which they would rather see, a bank getting robbed compared to healthy babies being born, the answer would be obvious. The media is aware that more people would watch the story about the bank robbery compared to the new babies. This translates into people prefer negative stories rather than positive.
Empower Yourself and the World
Since we cannot simply boycott the news, how about we put 100% focus on positive news. The media will deliver what the public wants. If the public would rather be informed of more positive news compared to negative, that is what they will begin to deliver. You have the power to control the news. Every person who decides that they would rather better themselves by viewing positive news would see the dramatic impact in their mindset. Imagine the influence if 1 million people across the United States made the decision to ONLY watch positive news from now on. The outcome would be that those one million people would almost instantly see a change in their mindset which would allow them to focus on much more productive or spiritually enlightening things. Those 1 million people will create a ripple effect and possibly even help the economy.
Do you think this is possible? Can we really make vast change in the way we live our lives? Do we have the ability to influence the media conglomerate? Martin Luther King did and succeeded. Gandhi made a difference. Rosa Parks took the chance. Why wait around for someone else to take action when we have the power to simply do it? Only focus on positive news! Only talk about positive news. Only ASK for positive news. Start the movement today!
End
Have an outstanding news free day!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Detox your LIFE
Today’s Re-Powering Information – I’ll elaborate on Detoxification a bit more. To detoxify, you first need to be toxic. There is a chance you are not toxic, but given the list above, there is a good chance you have been exposed to something at least in your environment or foods that are foreign to your body. I just hung up the phone with one of my best friends who is in Maryland with a mold specialist. He lives in Florida and after hurricane Wilma, he did not know it, but there was mold in his house, office and health club – where he spent all of his time. He has such a heightened sensitivity now that the smell of cleaning chemicals, perfume, glue or just about anything toxic (especially mold) can give him Parkinson’s like symptoms. He’s had to move 5 time since the hurricane, has trouble staying in hotels or going on elevators with closed in smells and so on. Mold is everywhere. If you have not cleaned your air ducts in a while or cleaned / replaced air conditioner filters, objects foreign to your body can be causing toxicities. Read on to her Dr. Mark Hyman’s idea’s on detoxifying.
Is Your Body Loaded With Harmful Toxins…
Causing You to Be Sick, Sluggish and Mentally Drained Without Knowing It?
Most people begin to experience all or some of the following after only one week of using a detoxifying diet.
· Better digestion and elimination
· Fewer symptoms of chronic illness
· Improved concentration, mental focus, and clarity
· Improved mood and increased equanimity
· Increased energy and sense of well-being
· Less congestion and fewer allergic symptoms
· Less fluid retention
· Less joint pain
· Increased sense of peace and relaxation
It’s Easy to Become Sick and Fat. Simply Overload Your Internal Detoxification System Until It Doesn’t Work Properly…
Mark Hyman, M.D.
Co-Founder & Medical Director
UltraWellness Center, Lenox, MA
Dear Friend,
If you struggle with fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, sinus problems, headaches, bloating, gas, brain fog, hard-to-lose weight, or just about any chronic condition, there may be something you can do about it—without medication.
First, the good news…
Your body’s natural detoxification system is designed to support optimal health by eliminating waste products and environmental toxins from your metabolism.
When you were born, your body came equipped with a wonderfully designed and perfectly operating internal detoxification system. Your liver is the workhorse, transforming harmful toxins into relatively harmless compounds that are eliminated through the bile and the digestive tract. Your kidneys excrete harmful metabolic and environmental toxins. Your skin sweats and sheds, eliminating chemicals and toxins. Your body even uses hair and nails to eliminate such toxins as mercury and lead.
So what happens after 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years of constant exposure and abuse from the following?
· Nutrient-stripped foods
· Environmental toxins
· Stress
· Pollution
· Medications
· Toxic chemicals
· Pesticides
· Negative thinking
· Hurtful relationships
Now the bad news…
With all the toxins we’re exposed to in our environment, it is NOT difficult for your system to become overloaded and stop functioning the way it was meant to.
Every day, your body faces an uphill battle. It has to clean your system from toxins to keep you healthy. Imagine running your car 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for 40–60 years without a break.
What kind of shape would it be in?
It’s Easy to Become Sick and Fat. Simply Overload Your Internal Detoxification System Until It Doesn’t Work Properly…
Like any other hardworking system, your internal detoxification system needs periodic rest and support to continue functioning optimally.
Because of stress, poor food and a toxic environment, our systems face increasing pressure, making the need for such rest and support greater than ever.
Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles expose us to an increasingly complex (and deteriorating) environment, so that our detoxification systems must work overtime (without a break) in order to process the toxins we encounter in everyday life.
Common Symptoms of an Overloaded Detoxification System
* Fatigue
* Muscle aches
* Joint pain
* Sinus congestion and post-nasal drip
* Headaches
* Bloating
* Gas
* Irritable bowel syndrome
* Foul-smelling stools
* Heartburn
* Sleep problems
* Brain fog
* Food cravings
* Fluid retention
* Excess weight
* Rashes
* Canker sores
* Dark circles under the eyes
* Bad breath or body odor
* Premenstrual syndrome
In addition to the above, it has been shown that impaired detoxification from exposure to toxins can lead to more serious conditions such as:
· Alzheimer’s/dementia
· Arthritis
· Autoimmune diseases
· Cancer
· Chronic fatigue syndrome
· Fibromyalgia
· Food allergies
· Heart disease
· Parkinson’s
· Menstrual problems
Cancer Causes: Environmental or Genetic?
The environment plays more of a role than genetics in such chronic illnesses as dementia, cancer, and heart disease. This point was driven home in an article by the New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 343:1494–1496) and was a shock to many people.
The article addressed a study designed to separate environmental and genetic causes of cancer. The researchers studied 44,000 pairs of twins, looking for a connection between the environment and cancer or genes and cancer.
What did they find?
Less than 10% of cancers were related to genetics. Inherited genetic factors make a minor contribution to susceptibility to most types of cancer.
As a medical doctor, my practice is focused on lifestyle, nutrition, and preventive medicine. After more than 20 years I’ve treating thousands of patients who did not respond well to conventional therapies but underwent remarkable transformations on a detoxification program.
When you follow a detoxification program carefully you should see a reduction in everyday symptoms such as fatigue, sinusitis, and more…
Let me explain why you may be toxic in the first place.
7 Enemies That Impair Your Body’s Natural Ability to Detoxify
Many people, including the majority of those in the medical establishment, think of toxins as something made up by new age or fringe health care practitioners.
Despite opinions, there are medical, environmental, and scientific reasons to consider a detoxification program.
As stated earlier, our internal detoxification system is overloaded because we expose it to so many external sources that wear it out. So what kinds of toxins are you exposing yourself to? Consider the following…
Enemy # 1: Poor Quality Food
Many of the foods we eat contain anti-nutrients (such as sugar, refined carbohydrates, trans or hydrogenated fats, alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods) that lead not only to obesity, but also impair our internal detoxification system.
Consider a greasy cheeseburger (with trans fats), which interferes with the healthy functions of our cells; or the sugars from a soda, which deplete us of the good nutrients needed for detoxification, including the B vitamins and magnesium.
What can possibly be good by these statistics?
The Average American Consumes (per year)…
· 100 pounds of sugar
· 55 pounds of fats and oils
· 300 cans of soda
· 200 sticks of gum
· 5 pounds of potato chips
· 20 gallons of ice cream
· Dozens of doughnuts
Enemy # 2: Too Many Medications
Medications (even over-the-counter medications) can be a serious source of toxicity. For example, an article in the New York Times reported on a 1992–1995 Parkland Memorial Hospital (Dallas) study that found the overexposure of Tylenol or other medications containing its active ingredient, acetaminophen, were the leading cause of hospitalization for acute liver failure—especially if alcohol was in the system.
Enemy # 3: Overexposure to Antibiotics
The Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org) found that of the 24 million pounds of antibiotics used each year, only 2 million pounds are used to treat sick animals. Three million pounds are used to treat human infections. The rest (19 million pounds) are given to animals to prevent infection.
When we eat these animals we consume those antibiotics. This leads to serious consequences to our health, including life-threatening infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to those antibiotics.
Enemy # 4: Heavy Metal Poisoning
Perhaps the most ignored and prevalent toxins we face are heavy metals: mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and antimony. Everyone knows these metals are dangerous in large amounts, but we now recognize that chronic low-level exposure can have serious adverse consequences.
In what ways are we exposed to heavy metals?
Do you eat tuna, sea bass, or swordfish a few times a week? These may contain unacceptable levels of mercury. Do you have a mouthful of silver fillings that are decades old? Mercury is a huge problem and we are exposed to it in a number of ways.
Most of the ways we are not even aware of, like our water supply. For example, the Waban Reservoir, which supplies most of Boston, Massachusetts’ water, had ten times the safe levels of mercury in its water supply.
Where does mercury it come from? It comes from coal burning power plants, industrial sources like cement plants and medical incinerators that float up in the atmosphere then come back to earth.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that 8% of women of child-bearing age had toxic levels of mercury in their blood.
Enemy # 5: Dangerous Chemicals and Pesticides
Chemical toxins are prevalent in our environment (pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals, and even the household cleaning products we use in our homes). We breathe them in and absorb them through our lungs and skin, drink them in our water supply, or we eat them.
Enemy # 6: Food Allergens
Allergens can come from food, mold, dust, pollens, or chemicals. These can trigger inflammation in our bodies and overburden our already overloaded system.
Recent studies have found that 30% of Americans have the gene that may make them allergic to the protein found in wheat, called gluten, and 1 in 100 people have serious reactions to the wheat protein.
Enemy # 7: Hidden Infections
Hidden infections can be a source of toxicity. These toxins may come from bacteria, viruses, or yeast. Common locations include your digestive tract, where bacteria can cause ulcers.
The small intestine can harbor parasites, yeast, and harmful bacteria. The sinuses are often a location of chronic fungal infections and many other sites in our bodies harbor hidden infections.
If you are like most people, you are probably exposed to all seven enemies of our detoxification system and as a result may have a system that is simply worn out.
Why Some Babies of Smoking Mothers Are Born a Normal Weight
Why is it that many—but not all—mothers who are smokers give birth to babies who have low birth weight?
We have never understood why some do and some don’t. But when we looked at the genes that controlled detoxification we found the answer.
Women who had the gene that helped them get rid of the chemical toxins in smoke did not have small babies while the women who couldn’t detoxify the cigarette toxins had smaller babies.
The good news is that we can influence how powerfully our detoxification genes are expressed.
There is something you can do to actually improve the function of these detoxification genes and the enzymes produced from those genes that may prevent chronic illnesses.
A Simple Solution for Detoxifying Your System
While the word “detoxification” may call to mind some extreme behaviors, such as fasting or taking enemas, the approach does not require such drastic measures.
While it does require precise attention to diet and elimination, it should also go beyond these to include exercise, yoga, and contemplative practices.
The process should be accessible, clear, and nourishing—a truly revitalizing experience for your mind and body.
People who complete this program emerge with a renewed sense of vigor, vitality, energy, and a relief from many chronic minor health complaints.
How Does It Work?
Get Rid of Toxins:
Identifying and removing toxic foods and substances from your life will help you get a healthy start.
· Feel energized
· Lose weight
· Sleep better
· Preparing and repairing your digestive system with healthful foods and supplements.
· Enhance circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids throughout the body to refresh, oxygenate, and energize your cells.
End
When your body is free from toxic foods it will have far reaching effects on your sleep, your stress your energy and your results from camp.
Follow the Detox Meal Plan and you’ll feel accomplished tonight and astounding in the morning.
Is Your Body Loaded With Harmful Toxins…
Causing You to Be Sick, Sluggish and Mentally Drained Without Knowing It?
Most people begin to experience all or some of the following after only one week of using a detoxifying diet.
· Better digestion and elimination
· Fewer symptoms of chronic illness
· Improved concentration, mental focus, and clarity
· Improved mood and increased equanimity
· Increased energy and sense of well-being
· Less congestion and fewer allergic symptoms
· Less fluid retention
· Less joint pain
· Increased sense of peace and relaxation
It’s Easy to Become Sick and Fat. Simply Overload Your Internal Detoxification System Until It Doesn’t Work Properly…
Mark Hyman, M.D.
Co-Founder & Medical Director
UltraWellness Center, Lenox, MA
Dear Friend,
If you struggle with fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain, sinus problems, headaches, bloating, gas, brain fog, hard-to-lose weight, or just about any chronic condition, there may be something you can do about it—without medication.
First, the good news…
Your body’s natural detoxification system is designed to support optimal health by eliminating waste products and environmental toxins from your metabolism.
When you were born, your body came equipped with a wonderfully designed and perfectly operating internal detoxification system. Your liver is the workhorse, transforming harmful toxins into relatively harmless compounds that are eliminated through the bile and the digestive tract. Your kidneys excrete harmful metabolic and environmental toxins. Your skin sweats and sheds, eliminating chemicals and toxins. Your body even uses hair and nails to eliminate such toxins as mercury and lead.
So what happens after 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years of constant exposure and abuse from the following?
· Nutrient-stripped foods
· Environmental toxins
· Stress
· Pollution
· Medications
· Toxic chemicals
· Pesticides
· Negative thinking
· Hurtful relationships
Now the bad news…
With all the toxins we’re exposed to in our environment, it is NOT difficult for your system to become overloaded and stop functioning the way it was meant to.
Every day, your body faces an uphill battle. It has to clean your system from toxins to keep you healthy. Imagine running your car 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for 40–60 years without a break.
What kind of shape would it be in?
It’s Easy to Become Sick and Fat. Simply Overload Your Internal Detoxification System Until It Doesn’t Work Properly…
Like any other hardworking system, your internal detoxification system needs periodic rest and support to continue functioning optimally.
Because of stress, poor food and a toxic environment, our systems face increasing pressure, making the need for such rest and support greater than ever.
Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles expose us to an increasingly complex (and deteriorating) environment, so that our detoxification systems must work overtime (without a break) in order to process the toxins we encounter in everyday life.
Common Symptoms of an Overloaded Detoxification System
* Fatigue
* Muscle aches
* Joint pain
* Sinus congestion and post-nasal drip
* Headaches
* Bloating
* Gas
* Irritable bowel syndrome
* Foul-smelling stools
* Heartburn
* Sleep problems
* Brain fog
* Food cravings
* Fluid retention
* Excess weight
* Rashes
* Canker sores
* Dark circles under the eyes
* Bad breath or body odor
* Premenstrual syndrome
In addition to the above, it has been shown that impaired detoxification from exposure to toxins can lead to more serious conditions such as:
· Alzheimer’s/dementia
· Arthritis
· Autoimmune diseases
· Cancer
· Chronic fatigue syndrome
· Fibromyalgia
· Food allergies
· Heart disease
· Parkinson’s
· Menstrual problems
Cancer Causes: Environmental or Genetic?
The environment plays more of a role than genetics in such chronic illnesses as dementia, cancer, and heart disease. This point was driven home in an article by the New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 343:1494–1496) and was a shock to many people.
The article addressed a study designed to separate environmental and genetic causes of cancer. The researchers studied 44,000 pairs of twins, looking for a connection between the environment and cancer or genes and cancer.
What did they find?
Less than 10% of cancers were related to genetics. Inherited genetic factors make a minor contribution to susceptibility to most types of cancer.
As a medical doctor, my practice is focused on lifestyle, nutrition, and preventive medicine. After more than 20 years I’ve treating thousands of patients who did not respond well to conventional therapies but underwent remarkable transformations on a detoxification program.
When you follow a detoxification program carefully you should see a reduction in everyday symptoms such as fatigue, sinusitis, and more…
Let me explain why you may be toxic in the first place.
7 Enemies That Impair Your Body’s Natural Ability to Detoxify
Many people, including the majority of those in the medical establishment, think of toxins as something made up by new age or fringe health care practitioners.
Despite opinions, there are medical, environmental, and scientific reasons to consider a detoxification program.
As stated earlier, our internal detoxification system is overloaded because we expose it to so many external sources that wear it out. So what kinds of toxins are you exposing yourself to? Consider the following…
Enemy # 1: Poor Quality Food
Many of the foods we eat contain anti-nutrients (such as sugar, refined carbohydrates, trans or hydrogenated fats, alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods) that lead not only to obesity, but also impair our internal detoxification system.
Consider a greasy cheeseburger (with trans fats), which interferes with the healthy functions of our cells; or the sugars from a soda, which deplete us of the good nutrients needed for detoxification, including the B vitamins and magnesium.
What can possibly be good by these statistics?
The Average American Consumes (per year)…
· 100 pounds of sugar
· 55 pounds of fats and oils
· 300 cans of soda
· 200 sticks of gum
· 5 pounds of potato chips
· 20 gallons of ice cream
· Dozens of doughnuts
Enemy # 2: Too Many Medications
Medications (even over-the-counter medications) can be a serious source of toxicity. For example, an article in the New York Times reported on a 1992–1995 Parkland Memorial Hospital (Dallas) study that found the overexposure of Tylenol or other medications containing its active ingredient, acetaminophen, were the leading cause of hospitalization for acute liver failure—especially if alcohol was in the system.
Enemy # 3: Overexposure to Antibiotics
The Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org) found that of the 24 million pounds of antibiotics used each year, only 2 million pounds are used to treat sick animals. Three million pounds are used to treat human infections. The rest (19 million pounds) are given to animals to prevent infection.
When we eat these animals we consume those antibiotics. This leads to serious consequences to our health, including life-threatening infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to those antibiotics.
Enemy # 4: Heavy Metal Poisoning
Perhaps the most ignored and prevalent toxins we face are heavy metals: mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and antimony. Everyone knows these metals are dangerous in large amounts, but we now recognize that chronic low-level exposure can have serious adverse consequences.
In what ways are we exposed to heavy metals?
Do you eat tuna, sea bass, or swordfish a few times a week? These may contain unacceptable levels of mercury. Do you have a mouthful of silver fillings that are decades old? Mercury is a huge problem and we are exposed to it in a number of ways.
Most of the ways we are not even aware of, like our water supply. For example, the Waban Reservoir, which supplies most of Boston, Massachusetts’ water, had ten times the safe levels of mercury in its water supply.
Where does mercury it come from? It comes from coal burning power plants, industrial sources like cement plants and medical incinerators that float up in the atmosphere then come back to earth.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that 8% of women of child-bearing age had toxic levels of mercury in their blood.
Enemy # 5: Dangerous Chemicals and Pesticides
Chemical toxins are prevalent in our environment (pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals, and even the household cleaning products we use in our homes). We breathe them in and absorb them through our lungs and skin, drink them in our water supply, or we eat them.
Enemy # 6: Food Allergens
Allergens can come from food, mold, dust, pollens, or chemicals. These can trigger inflammation in our bodies and overburden our already overloaded system.
Recent studies have found that 30% of Americans have the gene that may make them allergic to the protein found in wheat, called gluten, and 1 in 100 people have serious reactions to the wheat protein.
Enemy # 7: Hidden Infections
Hidden infections can be a source of toxicity. These toxins may come from bacteria, viruses, or yeast. Common locations include your digestive tract, where bacteria can cause ulcers.
The small intestine can harbor parasites, yeast, and harmful bacteria. The sinuses are often a location of chronic fungal infections and many other sites in our bodies harbor hidden infections.
If you are like most people, you are probably exposed to all seven enemies of our detoxification system and as a result may have a system that is simply worn out.
Why Some Babies of Smoking Mothers Are Born a Normal Weight
Why is it that many—but not all—mothers who are smokers give birth to babies who have low birth weight?
We have never understood why some do and some don’t. But when we looked at the genes that controlled detoxification we found the answer.
Women who had the gene that helped them get rid of the chemical toxins in smoke did not have small babies while the women who couldn’t detoxify the cigarette toxins had smaller babies.
The good news is that we can influence how powerfully our detoxification genes are expressed.
There is something you can do to actually improve the function of these detoxification genes and the enzymes produced from those genes that may prevent chronic illnesses.
A Simple Solution for Detoxifying Your System
While the word “detoxification” may call to mind some extreme behaviors, such as fasting or taking enemas, the approach does not require such drastic measures.
While it does require precise attention to diet and elimination, it should also go beyond these to include exercise, yoga, and contemplative practices.
The process should be accessible, clear, and nourishing—a truly revitalizing experience for your mind and body.
People who complete this program emerge with a renewed sense of vigor, vitality, energy, and a relief from many chronic minor health complaints.
How Does It Work?
Get Rid of Toxins:
Identifying and removing toxic foods and substances from your life will help you get a healthy start.
· Feel energized
· Lose weight
· Sleep better
· Preparing and repairing your digestive system with healthful foods and supplements.
· Enhance circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids throughout the body to refresh, oxygenate, and energize your cells.
End
When your body is free from toxic foods it will have far reaching effects on your sleep, your stress your energy and your results from camp.
Follow the Detox Meal Plan and you’ll feel accomplished tonight and astounding in the morning.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
More ammunition to avoid sugar in your diet!
Today’s Re-Powering information – More ammunition to avoid sugar in your diet!
Soft Drinks and Energy Drinks: Too Sweet for Your Own Good
April 21, 2009 01:39 PM ET | Katherine Hobson | Permanent Link | Print
Sugary soft drinks and energy drinks are taking it on the chin these days. First, two public-health experts floated the idea of a specific tax on sodas and energy drinks, and now, two other researchers are saying the drinks contribute to obesity and need an extreme makeover.
Walter Willett, who chairs the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, argues that there is a "direct causal link" between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and energy drinks and obesity, which is in turn linked to heart disease, some types of cancer, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes. So he and a colleague, Lilian Cheung, a lecturer in the nutrition department, are suggesting that we all start focusing on drinks with a far lower sugar and calorie content: things like water, tea, seltzer with a splash of juice, and coffee with one lump of sugar.
They call on beverage makers to create reduced-calorie beverages with no more than 1 gram of sugar per ounce, without using noncaloric sweeteners like aspartame and stevia. [See why VitaminWater is a poster child for the importance of reading food and drink labels.]
That kind of beverage would have about 3 teaspoons of sugar per 12 ounces and about 50 calories. Look at Harvard's chart to see how soft drinks, juices, and sports drinks stack up next to that standard-the worst offender, cranberry juice cocktail, has 200 calories and 12 teaspoons of sugar in a 12-ounce serving. (No word yet on how the beverage industry trade group has received this suggestion, but I will write a post if it does respond.)
[Here's the skinny on caloric sweeteners like agave and corn syrup.]
Why the fuss over sugary beverages rather than, say, candy bars? Willett and Cheung say that these drinks are the largest source of added sugar in the diet of young Americans, with teen boys drinking more than a quart per day. In addition, other researchers, such as Barry Popkin, have suggested that liquid calories don't prompt our bodies to feel full the way calories in solid form do. The Harvard folks say we need to retrain our bodies away from intense sweetness, which is why their hypothesized beverages don't include low-calorie sweeteners like stevia, either. "When adults get conditioned to everything being sweet, it's hard to appreciate the gentle sweetness of a carrot or an apple," says Willett. That means using even low-calorie sweeteners may lead to weight gain, he says. A study published last year suggesting low-calorie sweeteners led to overeating.
End
Realize that every choice is a work in progress. Do your best to make the better bad choices until you are making the healthiest choices 80% of the time.
Success is a process!
Have an ultrawell day!
Soft Drinks and Energy Drinks: Too Sweet for Your Own Good
April 21, 2009 01:39 PM ET | Katherine Hobson | Permanent Link | Print
Sugary soft drinks and energy drinks are taking it on the chin these days. First, two public-health experts floated the idea of a specific tax on sodas and energy drinks, and now, two other researchers are saying the drinks contribute to obesity and need an extreme makeover.
Walter Willett, who chairs the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, argues that there is a "direct causal link" between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and energy drinks and obesity, which is in turn linked to heart disease, some types of cancer, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes. So he and a colleague, Lilian Cheung, a lecturer in the nutrition department, are suggesting that we all start focusing on drinks with a far lower sugar and calorie content: things like water, tea, seltzer with a splash of juice, and coffee with one lump of sugar.
They call on beverage makers to create reduced-calorie beverages with no more than 1 gram of sugar per ounce, without using noncaloric sweeteners like aspartame and stevia. [See why VitaminWater is a poster child for the importance of reading food and drink labels.]
That kind of beverage would have about 3 teaspoons of sugar per 12 ounces and about 50 calories. Look at Harvard's chart to see how soft drinks, juices, and sports drinks stack up next to that standard-the worst offender, cranberry juice cocktail, has 200 calories and 12 teaspoons of sugar in a 12-ounce serving. (No word yet on how the beverage industry trade group has received this suggestion, but I will write a post if it does respond.)
[Here's the skinny on caloric sweeteners like agave and corn syrup.]
Why the fuss over sugary beverages rather than, say, candy bars? Willett and Cheung say that these drinks are the largest source of added sugar in the diet of young Americans, with teen boys drinking more than a quart per day. In addition, other researchers, such as Barry Popkin, have suggested that liquid calories don't prompt our bodies to feel full the way calories in solid form do. The Harvard folks say we need to retrain our bodies away from intense sweetness, which is why their hypothesized beverages don't include low-calorie sweeteners like stevia, either. "When adults get conditioned to everything being sweet, it's hard to appreciate the gentle sweetness of a carrot or an apple," says Willett. That means using even low-calorie sweeteners may lead to weight gain, he says. A study published last year suggesting low-calorie sweeteners led to overeating.
End
Realize that every choice is a work in progress. Do your best to make the better bad choices until you are making the healthiest choices 80% of the time.
Success is a process!
Have an ultrawell day!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Take responsibility and get after what you want. Period!
Today’s Re-Powering information – simply a brilliant quote!
"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse."
-- Florence Nightingale
Last night I attended a 90 minute seminar for Hope hosted by Dave Ramsey. One of the messages was to get up and take responsibility. We know that can’t and but stem from fears and with fear you can not have hope. Take responsibility and get after what you want. Period!
Okay I couldn’t’ resist – here’ another quote! Savor it!
“Work to make your life something more than long, because there is no guarantee that it will be.”
Chris Widener
Have a relaxing and ultra enjoyable weekend.
"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse."
-- Florence Nightingale
Last night I attended a 90 minute seminar for Hope hosted by Dave Ramsey. One of the messages was to get up and take responsibility. We know that can’t and but stem from fears and with fear you can not have hope. Take responsibility and get after what you want. Period!
Okay I couldn’t’ resist – here’ another quote! Savor it!
“Work to make your life something more than long, because there is no guarantee that it will be.”
Chris Widener
Have a relaxing and ultra enjoyable weekend.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Words of Wisdom From a 97-Year-Old Physician
Today’s Daily Directive – Yesterday was earth day. Do your part to Go Green. We have become a nation of hyperconsumers where convenience and consumption rule. Last night I was riding my bike in the neighborhood and noticed the number of trash receptacles at the end of each driveway. There were a minimum of two up to a maximum of 9, yes 9 huge oversized trash bins for every home.
Today, make a stand to do something to conserve. Conserve electricity, make less waste, recycle, re-use or simply resist impulse buying. If one of us does one of these, that’s 53 women and it’s a start. Then pass it on to your family and it will grow exponentially. Can you use less cleaning products, cut down on your driving, shut off lights. Would it be possible for you to buy nothing for 24 hours? I know those of you who own businesses are not happy to hear me say that, but it’s all part of change. I’ve gotten away from using the word discipline and have replaced it with devotion. It’s good training when you are working on making changes to you habits to think about your new habit as your devotion rather than something you need to be disciplined to do. You can stimulate the economy tomorrow. Try it for 24 hours. Buy nothing today and identify one earth friendly thing you are committed to do. It will help you appreciate what you have more rather than always looking for more, more, more!! Write these things down. There is power in writing.
Today’s Re-Powering Information – With age comes wisdom. Read on to hear advice from the worlds oldest practicing physician. Check out what he eats for lunch!!! He provides some timeless advice for living long and healthy years!
Words of Wisdom From a 97-Year-Old Physician
hinohara,wisdom, ageing, longevityAt the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. He has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing since 1941.
He has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one Living Long, Living Good that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself:
Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. Hinohara says we all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. He believes that we can keep that attitude as adults, too, and that it's best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.
All people who live long -- regardless of nationality, race or gender -- share one thing in common: None are overweight. For breakfast Hinohara drinks coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. His lunch is milk and a few cookies. His dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.
Always plan ahead. His schedule book is already full until 2014. In 2016 he plans to attend the Tokyo Olympics!
There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was much lower.
Share what you know. Hinohara gives 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people.
When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can't cure everyone -- so why cause unnecessary pain with surgery? Hinohara thinks that music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.
To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. He take two stairs at a time, to get his muscles moving.
Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients, and we all want to have fun.
Don't be crazy about amassing material things. Remember: You don't know when your number is up, and you can't take it with you to the next place.
Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. Hinohara helped design St. Luke's so that it was possible to operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought he was crazy, but on March 20, 1995, he was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. St. Luke’s accepted 740 victims and in two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly they lost one person, but they saved 739 lives.
Science alone can't cure or help people. Illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, there is a need for liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones.
Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when Hinohara was 59 years old, he boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. The plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. He spent the next four days handcuffed to his seat. As a doctor, he looked at it all as an experiment and was amazed at how his body slowed down in a crisis.
Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. Hinohara’s role model was his father, who went to the United States in 1900 to study at Duke University, in North Carolina.
It's wonderful to live long. Since the age of 65, Hinohara has worked as a volunteer. He still puts in 18 hours, seven days a week, and loves every minute of it.
End
Today, make a stand to do something to conserve. Conserve electricity, make less waste, recycle, re-use or simply resist impulse buying. If one of us does one of these, that’s 53 women and it’s a start. Then pass it on to your family and it will grow exponentially. Can you use less cleaning products, cut down on your driving, shut off lights. Would it be possible for you to buy nothing for 24 hours? I know those of you who own businesses are not happy to hear me say that, but it’s all part of change. I’ve gotten away from using the word discipline and have replaced it with devotion. It’s good training when you are working on making changes to you habits to think about your new habit as your devotion rather than something you need to be disciplined to do. You can stimulate the economy tomorrow. Try it for 24 hours. Buy nothing today and identify one earth friendly thing you are committed to do. It will help you appreciate what you have more rather than always looking for more, more, more!! Write these things down. There is power in writing.
Today’s Re-Powering Information – With age comes wisdom. Read on to hear advice from the worlds oldest practicing physician. Check out what he eats for lunch!!! He provides some timeless advice for living long and healthy years!
Words of Wisdom From a 97-Year-Old Physician
hinohara,wisdom, ageing, longevityAt the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. He has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing since 1941.
He has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one Living Long, Living Good that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself:
Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. Hinohara says we all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. He believes that we can keep that attitude as adults, too, and that it's best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.
All people who live long -- regardless of nationality, race or gender -- share one thing in common: None are overweight. For breakfast Hinohara drinks coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. His lunch is milk and a few cookies. His dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.
Always plan ahead. His schedule book is already full until 2014. In 2016 he plans to attend the Tokyo Olympics!
There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was much lower.
Share what you know. Hinohara gives 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people.
When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can't cure everyone -- so why cause unnecessary pain with surgery? Hinohara thinks that music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.
To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. He take two stairs at a time, to get his muscles moving.
Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients, and we all want to have fun.
Don't be crazy about amassing material things. Remember: You don't know when your number is up, and you can't take it with you to the next place.
Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. Hinohara helped design St. Luke's so that it was possible to operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought he was crazy, but on March 20, 1995, he was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. St. Luke’s accepted 740 victims and in two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly they lost one person, but they saved 739 lives.
Science alone can't cure or help people. Illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, there is a need for liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones.
Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when Hinohara was 59 years old, he boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. The plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. He spent the next four days handcuffed to his seat. As a doctor, he looked at it all as an experiment and was amazed at how his body slowed down in a crisis.
Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. Hinohara’s role model was his father, who went to the United States in 1900 to study at Duke University, in North Carolina.
It's wonderful to live long. Since the age of 65, Hinohara has worked as a volunteer. He still puts in 18 hours, seven days a week, and loves every minute of it.
End
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Fantastic Chicken Fajitas
Fantastic Chicken Fajitas
fajitas
Ingredients:
· 1 lb chicken breast, skinless and boneless (or 1 lb flank steak, fish or shrimp)
· Cracked black pepper to taste
· 1 green pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into thin strips
· 1 white onion, peeled and sliced into thin slices
· 8 whole-wheat flour tortillas
guacamole:
· 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
· 1 ripe tomato, diced
· 1 tbsp lime juice
· Tabasco sauce to taste
· 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
tomato salsa:
· 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
· 1 red onion, diced
· 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
· 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
· 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
Fajitas: Slice the chicken into thin strips and season with cracked pepper. Sauté in non-stick pan until fully cooked. Grill or sauté the onions and peppers until cooked. Warm tortillas in the oven.
Guacamole: Mash the avocado in a mixing bowl. Combine all ingredients and mix until evenly distributed.
Tomato Salsa: In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and
mix well.
To Serve: Place warm tortillas on four plates and top with chicken, vegetables, guacamole and salsa. Roll into your favorite shape.
One more quote from a brilliant lady!
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
fajitas
Ingredients:
· 1 lb chicken breast, skinless and boneless (or 1 lb flank steak, fish or shrimp)
· Cracked black pepper to taste
· 1 green pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into thin strips
· 1 white onion, peeled and sliced into thin slices
· 8 whole-wheat flour tortillas
guacamole:
· 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
· 1 ripe tomato, diced
· 1 tbsp lime juice
· Tabasco sauce to taste
· 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
tomato salsa:
· 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
· 1 red onion, diced
· 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
· 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
· 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions:
Fajitas: Slice the chicken into thin strips and season with cracked pepper. Sauté in non-stick pan until fully cooked. Grill or sauté the onions and peppers until cooked. Warm tortillas in the oven.
Guacamole: Mash the avocado in a mixing bowl. Combine all ingredients and mix until evenly distributed.
Tomato Salsa: In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and
mix well.
To Serve: Place warm tortillas on four plates and top with chicken, vegetables, guacamole and salsa. Roll into your favorite shape.
One more quote from a brilliant lady!
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Feed Your Skin
Today’s Re-Powering information – I don’t mention the skin too much, however it’s our largest organ. If you are taking care of your body from the inside, the outside will take care of yourself (unless exposed to things from the external environment like too much sun). If you are having challenges with your skin, breakouts, moles, rashes, etc, more times than not, its from something going on in the inside that surfaces on the skin. The good news is that many skin conditions can be reversed with great nutrition. Not only that, but with exercise and good nutrition. You can appear up to 10 or more years younger. I’m 70 and don’t look too bad!!! (that was a joke). Read the article below for some skin saving and soothing foods that you can both consume for younger looking and feeling skin. You can even use real foods to make your own scrubs and masks..
Feed Your Skin
By Helen Hawkes
Forget plastic surgery. All you have to do is eat your way to great-looking skin.
Can you look younger by stuffing your face? Absolutely! The healthier the foods you consume are, the better your skin looks. No vitamin C and you'll have no collagen.
Too little vitamin A or essential fats and you'll have dry, rough skin, and too little zinc is a recipe for greasy skin and stretch marks.
So forget plastic surgery. For glowing, gorgeous, youthful skin, it makes sense to eat your way to fewer wrinkles, pimples, age spots and other beauty plagues.
Resurfacing your skin
It's no accident that vitamin A is the number one vitamin used topically to improve the texture and appearance of ageing skin.
Vitamin A is a powerful agent for increasing cell turnover, so that skin looks more youthful.
This skin vitamin comes in two forms: retinol, the animal form found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products; and beta-carotene, found in red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.
Apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin are all good sources of beta-carotene.
Sydney-based naturopath Penelope Sach, author of Natural Woman (Penguin), advises: "Include a raw carrot juice daily for the natural vitamin A content, which helps to regenerate skin cells. "
Foods to tighten and tone
Thanks to New York Times bestselling author Dr Nicholas Perricone, we now know that good skin is a very fishy business.
Fish is not only a good source of the antioxidant co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), but an outstanding source of high-quality protein that helps with cellular repair and essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are responsible for healthy cell membranes, he says.
EFAs hold water, so the stronger they are, the plumper and younger your skin looks.
Fish also contains a powerful antioxidant compound called dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE.
"This chemical stimulates nerve function and the muscles to contract and tighten under the skin," says Dr Perricone in The Perricone Prescription (HarperCollins).
"It is a magic bullet for great skin tone, keeping your face firm and contoured."
Sach says: "For radiant skin, eat cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna, three times a week."
Other good face firmers are walnuts and flaxseed oil, soya oil, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Flaxseed oil may also be useful in the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.
Natural wrinkle fighters
Perhaps your skin's biggest enemies are free radicals, produced by UV rays as well as pollution, stress and even breathing.
These nasties lead to skin inflammation, as well as the degradation of collagen, the support structure for your skin, according to Leslie Baumann, of the dermatology department at the University of Miami in Florida.
But nature has designed some pretty clever foods that, if eaten regularly, act as natural wrinkle fighters.
Start with apricots and tomatoes, rich in lycopene, nature's sunscreen.
For maximum anti-ageing, add a daily bowlful of berries, a glass of red wine or a freshly brewed pot of tea.
In a 2004 study by the veterinary science faculty at the University of Sydney, a potent free-radical scavenger called pycnogenol was found to reduce the amount of inflammatory sunburn in mice.
Pycnogenol can be found in grape seed, grape skin, cranberry, blackcurrant, green tea, black tea, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, black cherry, red wine and red cabbage.
Still want a stronger defense against free radicals and the surgeon's knife?
Here's a potent free radical-busting combination: vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione and CoQ10.
A 2002 German study published in the Journal Of Pharmacological And Biophysiological Research found that, together, these antioxidants could reduce inflammation caused by UV rays.
You'll find vitamin E in vegetable oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables, and vitamin C in leafy citrus fruit, berries and green leafy vegetables.
Asparagus is high in glutathione and CoQ10 is found in seafood, spinach and nuts.
Other antioxidant-rich foods are prunes, plums, capsicum, beetroot, parsley, figs, raisins and legumes such as red kidney beans.
And don't forget herbs and spices, an often neglected way to boost antioxidants in the body.
"Herbs and spices contain several natural water-soluble phenolic acids and flavonoids that can protect the body against oxidative stress and inflammation," says Dr Michael Fenech, principal research scientist on the CSIRO's Genome Health and Nutrigenomics Project in Adelaide.
Add cinnamon to your cappuccino, drink tea made of fresh mint or ginger, roast lamb with herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme, and indulge in turmeric-rich curries.
Try Gourmet Garden's herb tubes if you can't buy fresh.
Out, darn spot
There are two types of spots that detract from youthful skin: age spots and pimples.
And Australasian soils are notoriously short of a trace element called selenium.
This deficiency, along with sun exposure and sugar in the diet, is believed to be a factor in age spots, says Erica Angyal, an Australian nutritionist now based in Tokyo and author of Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books).
To stop spots, you should not only wear an SPF15+, but eat selenium-rich foods, including garlic, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and sesame seeds.
A study published in 2003 in the British Journal Of Dermatology also showed that skin was less likely to suffer oxidative damage when selenium levels were high.
Eating garlic, which also contains vitamin C and sulfur, can help banish blemishes.
Zinc is another natural substance that is necessary for good skin. Rich sources of zinc are oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecan nuts and brazil nuts.
Softening up
Extra-virgin olive oil has a high concentration of a monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid, one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods in existence, says Dr Perricone.
"Oleic acid is a member of the omega 9 family," he says. "It can make the difference between a complexion that resembles a piece of old shoe leather and one that looks and feels like a rose petal."
For younger-looking skin, aim to eat about 20g - or two tablespoons - of good fats a day, including olive oil.
Avocados contain oleic acid, as well as the antioxidants vitamin C and E.
Try having some on toast with lycopene-rich tomatoes, accompanied by a cup of green tea, for a super skin-boosting meal.
For baby-soft skin, avoid dehydrating drinks too, like alcohol and caffeine.
"Try Campari and soda during summer, as this is less dehydrating than wine and champagne," says Sach. Of course, cool, filtered water is great too.
Debloat and depuff
Your capillaries are the pipelines for your skin cells, says Angyal.
"When they are weak, or not working efficiently, your skin cells don't receive all the oxygen and nutrients they need."
This leads to poor elimination and sallow, puffy, prematurely aged or dull skin.
Bioflavonoids in citrus fruits can help to protect your capillaries, as well as support collagen production. So, next time you're at a juice bar, mix pink grapefruit, orange or lemon into your fruit or vegie blend.
END
If you are following the 30 Day Detox Fat Burning Meal Plan, yesterday was your first detox day. Fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon and a regular dinner from the list of foods provided. Continue following the plan for the best results. Below is a recipe I make, but I eat it without the tortilla’s (I do eat them occasionally)
Feed Your Skin
By Helen Hawkes
Forget plastic surgery. All you have to do is eat your way to great-looking skin.
Can you look younger by stuffing your face? Absolutely! The healthier the foods you consume are, the better your skin looks. No vitamin C and you'll have no collagen.
Too little vitamin A or essential fats and you'll have dry, rough skin, and too little zinc is a recipe for greasy skin and stretch marks.
So forget plastic surgery. For glowing, gorgeous, youthful skin, it makes sense to eat your way to fewer wrinkles, pimples, age spots and other beauty plagues.
Resurfacing your skin
It's no accident that vitamin A is the number one vitamin used topically to improve the texture and appearance of ageing skin.
Vitamin A is a powerful agent for increasing cell turnover, so that skin looks more youthful.
This skin vitamin comes in two forms: retinol, the animal form found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products; and beta-carotene, found in red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.
Apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin are all good sources of beta-carotene.
Sydney-based naturopath Penelope Sach, author of Natural Woman (Penguin), advises: "Include a raw carrot juice daily for the natural vitamin A content, which helps to regenerate skin cells. "
Foods to tighten and tone
Thanks to New York Times bestselling author Dr Nicholas Perricone, we now know that good skin is a very fishy business.
Fish is not only a good source of the antioxidant co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), but an outstanding source of high-quality protein that helps with cellular repair and essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are responsible for healthy cell membranes, he says.
EFAs hold water, so the stronger they are, the plumper and younger your skin looks.
Fish also contains a powerful antioxidant compound called dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE.
"This chemical stimulates nerve function and the muscles to contract and tighten under the skin," says Dr Perricone in The Perricone Prescription (HarperCollins).
"It is a magic bullet for great skin tone, keeping your face firm and contoured."
Sach says: "For radiant skin, eat cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel or tuna, three times a week."
Other good face firmers are walnuts and flaxseed oil, soya oil, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Flaxseed oil may also be useful in the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.
Natural wrinkle fighters
Perhaps your skin's biggest enemies are free radicals, produced by UV rays as well as pollution, stress and even breathing.
These nasties lead to skin inflammation, as well as the degradation of collagen, the support structure for your skin, according to Leslie Baumann, of the dermatology department at the University of Miami in Florida.
But nature has designed some pretty clever foods that, if eaten regularly, act as natural wrinkle fighters.
Start with apricots and tomatoes, rich in lycopene, nature's sunscreen.
For maximum anti-ageing, add a daily bowlful of berries, a glass of red wine or a freshly brewed pot of tea.
In a 2004 study by the veterinary science faculty at the University of Sydney, a potent free-radical scavenger called pycnogenol was found to reduce the amount of inflammatory sunburn in mice.
Pycnogenol can be found in grape seed, grape skin, cranberry, blackcurrant, green tea, black tea, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, black cherry, red wine and red cabbage.
Still want a stronger defense against free radicals and the surgeon's knife?
Here's a potent free radical-busting combination: vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione and CoQ10.
A 2002 German study published in the Journal Of Pharmacological And Biophysiological Research found that, together, these antioxidants could reduce inflammation caused by UV rays.
You'll find vitamin E in vegetable oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables, and vitamin C in leafy citrus fruit, berries and green leafy vegetables.
Asparagus is high in glutathione and CoQ10 is found in seafood, spinach and nuts.
Other antioxidant-rich foods are prunes, plums, capsicum, beetroot, parsley, figs, raisins and legumes such as red kidney beans.
And don't forget herbs and spices, an often neglected way to boost antioxidants in the body.
"Herbs and spices contain several natural water-soluble phenolic acids and flavonoids that can protect the body against oxidative stress and inflammation," says Dr Michael Fenech, principal research scientist on the CSIRO's Genome Health and Nutrigenomics Project in Adelaide.
Add cinnamon to your cappuccino, drink tea made of fresh mint or ginger, roast lamb with herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme, and indulge in turmeric-rich curries.
Try Gourmet Garden's herb tubes if you can't buy fresh.
Out, darn spot
There are two types of spots that detract from youthful skin: age spots and pimples.
And Australasian soils are notoriously short of a trace element called selenium.
This deficiency, along with sun exposure and sugar in the diet, is believed to be a factor in age spots, says Erica Angyal, an Australian nutritionist now based in Tokyo and author of Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books).
To stop spots, you should not only wear an SPF15+, but eat selenium-rich foods, including garlic, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and sesame seeds.
A study published in 2003 in the British Journal Of Dermatology also showed that skin was less likely to suffer oxidative damage when selenium levels were high.
Eating garlic, which also contains vitamin C and sulfur, can help banish blemishes.
Zinc is another natural substance that is necessary for good skin. Rich sources of zinc are oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecan nuts and brazil nuts.
Softening up
Extra-virgin olive oil has a high concentration of a monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid, one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods in existence, says Dr Perricone.
"Oleic acid is a member of the omega 9 family," he says. "It can make the difference between a complexion that resembles a piece of old shoe leather and one that looks and feels like a rose petal."
For younger-looking skin, aim to eat about 20g - or two tablespoons - of good fats a day, including olive oil.
Avocados contain oleic acid, as well as the antioxidants vitamin C and E.
Try having some on toast with lycopene-rich tomatoes, accompanied by a cup of green tea, for a super skin-boosting meal.
For baby-soft skin, avoid dehydrating drinks too, like alcohol and caffeine.
"Try Campari and soda during summer, as this is less dehydrating than wine and champagne," says Sach. Of course, cool, filtered water is great too.
Debloat and depuff
Your capillaries are the pipelines for your skin cells, says Angyal.
"When they are weak, or not working efficiently, your skin cells don't receive all the oxygen and nutrients they need."
This leads to poor elimination and sallow, puffy, prematurely aged or dull skin.
Bioflavonoids in citrus fruits can help to protect your capillaries, as well as support collagen production. So, next time you're at a juice bar, mix pink grapefruit, orange or lemon into your fruit or vegie blend.
END
If you are following the 30 Day Detox Fat Burning Meal Plan, yesterday was your first detox day. Fruit in the morning, veggies in the afternoon and a regular dinner from the list of foods provided. Continue following the plan for the best results. Below is a recipe I make, but I eat it without the tortilla’s (I do eat them occasionally)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
FDA Warns Consumers about Weight Loss Products
Today’s Re-Powering Information – I know that some of you are following Weight watchers or Jenny Craig or some other supervised diet program. Those have some merit and can be effective, although I am not thrilled with the quality of food and I would never put a frozen dinner to my lips (read the label and see why), however that’s not what I am going to address today. Today I want to cover something that I hope does not apply to any of you, but you may be able to understand to enlighten those you care about. Diet pills do not work. Not only don’t they work, they are harmful, have side effects and can kill you. Read a recent article from the Chicago Tribune and then the comments by Dr. Mercola regarding his take on Diet Pills.
FDA Warns Consumers about Weight Loss Products
diet pill, weight loss productsThe FDA has issued a new alert about weight loss products tainted by potentially dangerous ingredients. Many of the products claim to be "natural" or "herbal" but include drugs, sometimes in very high doses.
Drugs found in weight loss products include:
• Sibutramine (a controlled substance)
• Phenytoin (an anti-seizure medication)
• Phenolphthalein (a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent)
• Bumetanide (a diuretic)
Altogether, the FDA has found 72 tainted weight loss products since it first brought the issue to public attention last December.
Sources:
Chicago Tribune March 20, 2009
Dr. Mercola''s Comments
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It’s a tempting proposition for many. Take a diet pill, then sit back and relax as the pounds melt away. For the 15 percent of American adults who say they’ve used weight-loss supplements, many probably thought “why not”? What could they lose other than the money to buy them and possibly some extra pounds?
As it turns out, you could lose quite a bit, including your health, if you take many of these weight-loss supplements.
So far the FDA has identified 72 diet pills -- most of them imported from China -- that are tainted with hidden and potentially dangerous drugs and chemicals.
You can view a full list of the contaminated products on the FDA’s Web site. Many of them claim to be “natural” or “herbal” yet contain chemicals and drugs such as:
• Cetilistat: an experimental obesity drug that can cause serious health risks in certain populations.
• Fenproporex: a stimulant not approved for marketing in the United States, which can cause increased blood pressure, uncontrollable movements or shaking, palpitations, arrhythmia and possibly sudden death.
• Fluoxetine: the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Prozac, a prescription antidepressant, which can increase the risk of suicidal thinking and suicide in children, adolescents, and young adults.
• Furosemide: the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Lasix, a potent diuretic that can cause profound dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, leading to dehydration, seizures, GI problems, kidney damage, lethargy, collapse and coma.
• Rimonabant: the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Zimulti, which has not been approved in the United States because of increased risk of neurological and psychiatric side effects -- seizures, depression, anxiety, insomnia, aggressiveness, and suicidal thoughts among patients.
All of the tainted weight loss supplements on the list are available over-the-counter without a prescription and are not FDA-approved, but please don’t misconstrue this information. While this new finding underscores the importance of knowing where your supplements (whether for weight loss or any other purpose) come from, diet pills that are FDA-approved or available by prescription have also been linked to serious side effects.
The Risks of “Approved” Diet Pills
Two of the most well-known diet drugs in the United States are Xenical, a prescription-only drug, and its non-prescription version Alli. Unpublished studies on Xenical have revealed concerning data, including:
• Xenical increases the precursor markers to colon cancer by 60 percent in rats.
• When eating a high- fat diet and taking Xenical, the cancer risk increased 2.4 fold.
• Fat-soluble vitamin E depletion, due to Xenical's fat-blocking action, raises the risk of colon cancer even further.
• Recorded adverse reactions to Xenical include: 39 cases of increased abnormal blood thinning, several cases of bleeding episodes, 10 hospitalizations (four with life-threatening reactions), and one death.
• Dangerous thinning of the blood can occur in people taking drugs like Warfarin (an anti-coagulant), or who suffer from vitamin K deficiency.
Alli, meanwhile, which blocks the absorption of about 25 percent of consumed fat, can also result in loose stools, hard-to-control bowel movements, and gas with an oily discharge. The manufacturer calls these “treatment effects.”
These are some serious, not to mention embarrassing, risks all for a very small benefit. Though these drugs may help you lose weight, it will likely be only a few pounds more than you would lose with diet and exercise alone.
In fact, the Mayo Clinic reported the average weight loss for prescription-strength Xenical is only about 6 pounds greater than diet and exercise alone after one year. Since Alli is half the strength of Xenical, they reasoned Alli could conceivably result in an average of just 3 extra pounds lost in a year.
The REAL Way to Lose Weight
How to lose weight safely and effectively is an urgent and relevant issue given that two-thirds of the U.S. population is already overweight, and a recent study found it’s possible that nearly every American adult could be overweight by 2048.
Of course, maintaining a healthy body weight is about so much more than looking good in a bikini -- it’s about having more energy, fighting disease, protecting your heart and, above all else, choosing a lifestyle that will support your entire body and your health.
A drug simply will not provide these benefits, and neither will a crash diet.
Dieting is actually a consistent predictor of future weight gain. On any given diet, people initially lose 5 percent to 10 percent of their weight, but then they gain it back, often with some additional pounds as well.
This is because they’re not addressing two key aspects to weight loss: emotions and your nutritional type.
As anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight knows, making up your mind to do it is half the battle (in fact, it’s probably 99 percent of the battle for many).
Nip emotional eating in the bud by dealing with your feelings and creating a new relationship with food. Release self-sabotaging behaviors like avoiding exercise.
That is one step in the weight-loss equation. From there, it’s just a matter of changing your lifestyle in the following ways:
1. Tailor your diet to your nutritional type. These are the foods that are right for your biochemistry, and these are the foods that will push your body toward its ideal weight. (By the way, these foods may be high in fat, high in carbs, heavy on protein or heavy on veggies, it all depends on YOU).
Eating right for your nutritional type is not a “diet.” In fact, if you still feel hungry after eating you are definitely not eating according to your nutritional type. There is no food deprivation, no counting calories and definitely no starving yourself -- just eating plenty of healthy foods that are right for you.
2. View exercise as a drug. When you’re trying to lose weight, a casual walk here and there is not going to cut it. Many studies find that exercising for one hour, five days a week is actually needed, and I tend to agree with that. Sometimes you may even need up to 90 minutes of aerobic activity every day.
There is also strong compelling evidence that strength training and high-intensity anaerobic interval training may be especially effective for weight loss.
So there you have it: eat right, exercise, and address your emotions -- and that is typically all it takes.
FDA Warns Consumers about Weight Loss Products
diet pill, weight loss productsThe FDA has issued a new alert about weight loss products tainted by potentially dangerous ingredients. Many of the products claim to be "natural" or "herbal" but include drugs, sometimes in very high doses.
Drugs found in weight loss products include:
• Sibutramine (a controlled substance)
• Phenytoin (an anti-seizure medication)
• Phenolphthalein (a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent)
• Bumetanide (a diuretic)
Altogether, the FDA has found 72 tainted weight loss products since it first brought the issue to public attention last December.
Sources:
Chicago Tribune March 20, 2009
Dr. Mercola''s Comments
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It’s a tempting proposition for many. Take a diet pill, then sit back and relax as the pounds melt away. For the 15 percent of American adults who say they’ve used weight-loss supplements, many probably thought “why not”? What could they lose other than the money to buy them and possibly some extra pounds?
As it turns out, you could lose quite a bit, including your health, if you take many of these weight-loss supplements.
So far the FDA has identified 72 diet pills -- most of them imported from China -- that are tainted with hidden and potentially dangerous drugs and chemicals.
You can view a full list of the contaminated products on the FDA’s Web site. Many of them claim to be “natural” or “herbal” yet contain chemicals and drugs such as:
• Cetilistat: an experimental obesity drug that can cause serious health risks in certain populations.
• Fenproporex: a stimulant not approved for marketing in the United States, which can cause increased blood pressure, uncontrollable movements or shaking, palpitations, arrhythmia and possibly sudden death.
• Fluoxetine: the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Prozac, a prescription antidepressant, which can increase the risk of suicidal thinking and suicide in children, adolescents, and young adults.
• Furosemide: the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Lasix, a potent diuretic that can cause profound dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, leading to dehydration, seizures, GI problems, kidney damage, lethargy, collapse and coma.
• Rimonabant: the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Zimulti, which has not been approved in the United States because of increased risk of neurological and psychiatric side effects -- seizures, depression, anxiety, insomnia, aggressiveness, and suicidal thoughts among patients.
All of the tainted weight loss supplements on the list are available over-the-counter without a prescription and are not FDA-approved, but please don’t misconstrue this information. While this new finding underscores the importance of knowing where your supplements (whether for weight loss or any other purpose) come from, diet pills that are FDA-approved or available by prescription have also been linked to serious side effects.
The Risks of “Approved” Diet Pills
Two of the most well-known diet drugs in the United States are Xenical, a prescription-only drug, and its non-prescription version Alli. Unpublished studies on Xenical have revealed concerning data, including:
• Xenical increases the precursor markers to colon cancer by 60 percent in rats.
• When eating a high- fat diet and taking Xenical, the cancer risk increased 2.4 fold.
• Fat-soluble vitamin E depletion, due to Xenical's fat-blocking action, raises the risk of colon cancer even further.
• Recorded adverse reactions to Xenical include: 39 cases of increased abnormal blood thinning, several cases of bleeding episodes, 10 hospitalizations (four with life-threatening reactions), and one death.
• Dangerous thinning of the blood can occur in people taking drugs like Warfarin (an anti-coagulant), or who suffer from vitamin K deficiency.
Alli, meanwhile, which blocks the absorption of about 25 percent of consumed fat, can also result in loose stools, hard-to-control bowel movements, and gas with an oily discharge. The manufacturer calls these “treatment effects.”
These are some serious, not to mention embarrassing, risks all for a very small benefit. Though these drugs may help you lose weight, it will likely be only a few pounds more than you would lose with diet and exercise alone.
In fact, the Mayo Clinic reported the average weight loss for prescription-strength Xenical is only about 6 pounds greater than diet and exercise alone after one year. Since Alli is half the strength of Xenical, they reasoned Alli could conceivably result in an average of just 3 extra pounds lost in a year.
The REAL Way to Lose Weight
How to lose weight safely and effectively is an urgent and relevant issue given that two-thirds of the U.S. population is already overweight, and a recent study found it’s possible that nearly every American adult could be overweight by 2048.
Of course, maintaining a healthy body weight is about so much more than looking good in a bikini -- it’s about having more energy, fighting disease, protecting your heart and, above all else, choosing a lifestyle that will support your entire body and your health.
A drug simply will not provide these benefits, and neither will a crash diet.
Dieting is actually a consistent predictor of future weight gain. On any given diet, people initially lose 5 percent to 10 percent of their weight, but then they gain it back, often with some additional pounds as well.
This is because they’re not addressing two key aspects to weight loss: emotions and your nutritional type.
As anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight knows, making up your mind to do it is half the battle (in fact, it’s probably 99 percent of the battle for many).
Nip emotional eating in the bud by dealing with your feelings and creating a new relationship with food. Release self-sabotaging behaviors like avoiding exercise.
That is one step in the weight-loss equation. From there, it’s just a matter of changing your lifestyle in the following ways:
1. Tailor your diet to your nutritional type. These are the foods that are right for your biochemistry, and these are the foods that will push your body toward its ideal weight. (By the way, these foods may be high in fat, high in carbs, heavy on protein or heavy on veggies, it all depends on YOU).
Eating right for your nutritional type is not a “diet.” In fact, if you still feel hungry after eating you are definitely not eating according to your nutritional type. There is no food deprivation, no counting calories and definitely no starving yourself -- just eating plenty of healthy foods that are right for you.
2. View exercise as a drug. When you’re trying to lose weight, a casual walk here and there is not going to cut it. Many studies find that exercising for one hour, five days a week is actually needed, and I tend to agree with that. Sometimes you may even need up to 90 minutes of aerobic activity every day.
There is also strong compelling evidence that strength training and high-intensity anaerobic interval training may be especially effective for weight loss.
So there you have it: eat right, exercise, and address your emotions -- and that is typically all it takes.
Monday, April 20, 2009
GUARANTEE you will not wish you spent more time watching TV
It is the trouble that never comes that causes the loss of sleep.
Chas. Austin Bates
Today’s action exercise is to first identify something extraordinary you want to do. Maybe something you have been wanting to do, thinking about doing, even investigating, but have not taken the leap to do. Today write that one thing down and take one step in the direction of making that a reality. Then set a deadline as to when this extraordinary adventure will take place. For one person, talking to a stranger may be an adventure, for another it’s canoeing across Lake Grapevine, for another getting back on a horse, for another dusting off the online skates to coast through your neighborhood. I want you to throw all cares (fears) to the wind. Who cares what the neighbors think. I’m not suggesting you bungee jump if that makes you too uncomfortable, however I want you to get out of your comfort zone to realize what’s possible and what you can accomplish. You won’t know until you try. I guarantee –yes GUARANTEE you will not wish you spent more time watching TV. You will remember the experience and then dream to do something bigger. We only go around one time. You can never get this minute back. So . . identify your adventure (not going to the spa), something fun, something that will cause you to muster up come courage, something that will make you feel proud. Maybe sign up for your first 5K and see what it feels like to have race number on your back (I know several of you have done that for the first time this past year). You can go to www.active.com and see if anything excites you! Stretch your limits today. Take the step to make your life worth living in a big fun way. Oh – and feel free to share what with me. I would LOVE to hear it! You can also post it on the blog at www.ArgyleBootCamp.com. It’s freeing!!!
Chas. Austin Bates
Today’s action exercise is to first identify something extraordinary you want to do. Maybe something you have been wanting to do, thinking about doing, even investigating, but have not taken the leap to do. Today write that one thing down and take one step in the direction of making that a reality. Then set a deadline as to when this extraordinary adventure will take place. For one person, talking to a stranger may be an adventure, for another it’s canoeing across Lake Grapevine, for another getting back on a horse, for another dusting off the online skates to coast through your neighborhood. I want you to throw all cares (fears) to the wind. Who cares what the neighbors think. I’m not suggesting you bungee jump if that makes you too uncomfortable, however I want you to get out of your comfort zone to realize what’s possible and what you can accomplish. You won’t know until you try. I guarantee –yes GUARANTEE you will not wish you spent more time watching TV. You will remember the experience and then dream to do something bigger. We only go around one time. You can never get this minute back. So . . identify your adventure (not going to the spa), something fun, something that will cause you to muster up come courage, something that will make you feel proud. Maybe sign up for your first 5K and see what it feels like to have race number on your back (I know several of you have done that for the first time this past year). You can go to www.active.com and see if anything excites you! Stretch your limits today. Take the step to make your life worth living in a big fun way. Oh – and feel free to share what with me. I would LOVE to hear it! You can also post it on the blog at www.ArgyleBootCamp.com. It’s freeing!!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
TURKEY MEATLOAF Recipe
meatloaf
Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 packages (30 ounces) lean ground turkey, uncooked
· 1/2 cup dry oats
· 3 egg whites
· 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
· 1/3 cup cashews, chopped
· 2 teaspoons basil
· 1/4 teaspoons pepper
· · Cooking spray
Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, except spray. Then with hands coated with cooking spray, roll the mixture into a log and place it into an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan.
Bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Value
(for each 4 serving)
Calories: 171
Fat: 3.5 g
Protein: 30 g
Carbs: 5 g
Makes 10 servings.
Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 packages (30 ounces) lean ground turkey, uncooked
· 1/2 cup dry oats
· 3 egg whites
· 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
· 1/3 cup cashews, chopped
· 2 teaspoons basil
· 1/4 teaspoons pepper
· · Cooking spray
Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, except spray. Then with hands coated with cooking spray, roll the mixture into a log and place it into an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan.
Bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Value
(for each 4 serving)
Calories: 171
Fat: 3.5 g
Protein: 30 g
Carbs: 5 g
Makes 10 servings.
Avoid Dining Out!! See how much Calories are in your food!
Today’ Re-Powering information – Dining out. When we first moved to Flower Mound almost 3 years ago, we were excited by all of the restaurants. Our town in NJ only had 2 restaurants so it was fun to try out the local fare. Before long we realized that most of it was barely a cut above fast food quality and even the finer establishments had limited choices if your goal is not to over due fat, sugar and calories. I eat 95% (or more) of my meals at home each week. One of the things you will observe if you hang out with fitness professionals is that a lot of them pack their food with them to avoid the limited choices available at restaurants. Over the next 12 weeks I ideally would love to have you preparing your own meals (or having someone who cares about your goals doing it for you).
Regular dining out can be devastating to your goals. I recommend keeping dining out to a bare minimum of 1-2 meals a week if possible. Here are some examples of how you can sabotage yourself with a few restaurant meals a week. Make the best choices you can.
Olive Garden, Spaghetti & Meatballs
1,110 calories, 50g fat, 103g carbs
Chicken Alfredo over fettuccine has 1,430 calories and 82g fat
Better Choice: Linguini alla Marinara, with 430 calories and 6g fat for a dinner portion
Better Still: stay home and make your own with high protein or whole wheat pasta al dente, with homemade turkey meatballs, and organic tomato sauce from BJs.
Red Lobster, Parrot Bay Jumbo Coconut Shrimp with Creamy Langostino Lobster Baked Potato and a Caesar Salad-
1,620 calories, 69g fat, 111g carbs
Better Choice: If it's shrimp you crave, go for the dinner portion of Wood-Fire Garlic-Grilled Jumbo Shrimp -- only 365 calories and 6g fat. It comes over wild rice pilaf, and if you go with the garden salad and fat-free ranch, you'll clock in with a total of 495 calories and 9g fat
Better Still: Make it at home with a citrus and lemon marinade over the BBQ, include a side of quinoa or whole grain rice.
T.G.I. Friday's, Sizzling Fajita Combo
PER SERVING (1 order): 1,590 calories
Jack Daniel's Ribs & Shrimp 1,910 calories
Better Choice: Dragonfire Chicken. It's glazed with spicy Kung Pao sauce and it comes with stir-fried brown rice, broccoli, M andarin oranges, and pineapple pico de gallo. All that for 510 calories.
Best yet: At home grill chicken onions and peppers strips and wrap into a Roll-Up brand wrap. Don't forget to top with black beans and salsa, and perhaps a dollop of low-fat sour cream- no cheese.
Outback Steakhouse, Alice Springs Chicken
1 order: 2,000 calories
Better Choice: Ahi Tuna Chopped Salad. You'll get seared tuna on a big pile of greens with wasabi vinaigrette and crispy wontons for 590 calories. Save some calories and fat by ditching the wontons. Save more by ordering that dressing on the side -- even better, get the fat-free Tangy Tomato Dressing
Best Yet:
Go to the Market Place and buy the sushi grade tuna for $16.99/lb. Rub with white and black sesame seeds. Cook it in the skillet with a LITTLE sesame oil. Then top it with a bit of Newman’s Asian Low Fat Dressing and a couple avocado wedges.
Romano's Macaroni Grill, Parmesan-Crusted Sole
2,190 calories, 141g fat, 2,980mg sodium, 145g carbs,
Better Choice: Pollo Magro "Skinny Chicken" -- 320 calories and 5g fat or the Simple Salmon, with 590 calories and 32g fat
Best Yet:
Buy salmon and bake it in the over with bruchetta from BJs. It comes in a big jar for $3.99. Sprinkle on some fresh dill as well. Side with grilled asparagus.
On that note, make what I call the better bad choices at each meal. Do the best you can and realize that it’s an evolution.
Regular dining out can be devastating to your goals. I recommend keeping dining out to a bare minimum of 1-2 meals a week if possible. Here are some examples of how you can sabotage yourself with a few restaurant meals a week. Make the best choices you can.
Olive Garden, Spaghetti & Meatballs
1,110 calories, 50g fat, 103g carbs
Chicken Alfredo over fettuccine has 1,430 calories and 82g fat
Better Choice: Linguini alla Marinara, with 430 calories and 6g fat for a dinner portion
Better Still: stay home and make your own with high protein or whole wheat pasta al dente, with homemade turkey meatballs, and organic tomato sauce from BJs.
Red Lobster, Parrot Bay Jumbo Coconut Shrimp with Creamy Langostino Lobster Baked Potato and a Caesar Salad-
1,620 calories, 69g fat, 111g carbs
Better Choice: If it's shrimp you crave, go for the dinner portion of Wood-Fire Garlic-Grilled Jumbo Shrimp -- only 365 calories and 6g fat. It comes over wild rice pilaf, and if you go with the garden salad and fat-free ranch, you'll clock in with a total of 495 calories and 9g fat
Better Still: Make it at home with a citrus and lemon marinade over the BBQ, include a side of quinoa or whole grain rice.
T.G.I. Friday's, Sizzling Fajita Combo
PER SERVING (1 order): 1,590 calories
Jack Daniel's Ribs & Shrimp 1,910 calories
Better Choice: Dragonfire Chicken. It's glazed with spicy Kung Pao sauce and it comes with stir-fried brown rice, broccoli, M andarin oranges, and pineapple pico de gallo. All that for 510 calories.
Best yet: At home grill chicken onions and peppers strips and wrap into a Roll-Up brand wrap. Don't forget to top with black beans and salsa, and perhaps a dollop of low-fat sour cream- no cheese.
Outback Steakhouse, Alice Springs Chicken
1 order: 2,000 calories
Better Choice: Ahi Tuna Chopped Salad. You'll get seared tuna on a big pile of greens with wasabi vinaigrette and crispy wontons for 590 calories. Save some calories and fat by ditching the wontons. Save more by ordering that dressing on the side -- even better, get the fat-free Tangy Tomato Dressing
Best Yet:
Go to the Market Place and buy the sushi grade tuna for $16.99/lb. Rub with white and black sesame seeds. Cook it in the skillet with a LITTLE sesame oil. Then top it with a bit of Newman’s Asian Low Fat Dressing and a couple avocado wedges.
Romano's Macaroni Grill, Parmesan-Crusted Sole
2,190 calories, 141g fat, 2,980mg sodium, 145g carbs,
Better Choice: Pollo Magro "Skinny Chicken" -- 320 calories and 5g fat or the Simple Salmon, with 590 calories and 32g fat
Best Yet:
Buy salmon and bake it in the over with bruchetta from BJs. It comes in a big jar for $3.99. Sprinkle on some fresh dill as well. Side with grilled asparagus.
On that note, make what I call the better bad choices at each meal. Do the best you can and realize that it’s an evolution.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)