Water – Make Wise Choices

If anyone had told me ten years ago that I would spend $2.50 for a quart of water (do the math… that is $10 per gallon!!!) I would have laughed. Now, I shake my head in wonder at how many people do just that. People will not spend three measly dollars per day on providing their bodies with the best nutrition on the planet, but they will buy WATER that is virtually free at the conservative cost of $5 per gallon. I was appalled when I did research to get up to date figures for my recent class. 60 MILLION plastic water bottles per day are tossed into the trash in the United States. Stop and think about that for a minute. Do a little simple math 60,000,000 x 365 = 21,900,000,000 or to write that out 21 BILLION, 9 HUNDRED MILLION bottles per year. Is that not insane?!!!!

I could camp out on the detriment to our environment that the bottle water industry has caused, but that isn't the purpose of this post. My goal is to help educate folks so they will drink the proper amount of water to hydrate themselves, and to help them make wise choices in choosing their water sources. Hopefully the opening paragraph is a clue that bottle water would not be the wisest choice, but if that isn't enough there is much more evidence to incriminate. There really aren't any redeemable qualities to offset the many detriments to drinking bottled water. First we addressed exorbitant expense, and environmental cost. Now let's look at the price we are paying with our health.

Plastics are full of toxins. No one will even attempt to deny that. Those toxins leach from the bottle into the water we drink. No one will deny that either. The arguments are all around how much leaches, and how much is "safe." I will leave the experts to nit-pick over nano-particles, and I will save myself hundreds of dollars per year by drinking tap water which has tested just as clean or cleaner than bottled water.

But, wait! Tap water from a city municipal source is full of chlorine, and often is "enriched" with fluoride – neither of which are good for you. If you don't believe me, have a look at this.The simple solution is to find a good filter, not to pick up a couple of cases of bottled water every week. While I was doing my research I ran across this site, and felt like it was worth sharing this comparison chart.

Once you choose your water filter and have a clean source of water, find yourself a BPA free water bottle, or even better drink out of glass or stainless steel. Then measure out the optimum amount your body needs so that you can better gauge if you are drinking enough. The simplest formula to use is to take your body weight and divide it in half. That number is the number of ounces of good clean purified water you should be drinking each day. If you are also consuming caffeine you should compensate by drinking more water. (Caffeine is a diuretic and will dehydrate instead of hydrate you.)

Adding a lemon wedge or two will add in some flavor, without negating the benefits of drinking water. Don't use the flavored water packets or additives. All the ones I have seen are full of artificial sweeteners and colors. If you aren't sure why those are bad… go back a few posts and read The Fatal Five.

Is Exercise Really Necessary to Lose Weight?

Answering this question will probably upset some of my fitness fanatic friends, but I have to be honest. An exercise program is not necessary to lose weight. It is a question many people ask simply because they are at a place in their health where exercise isn't an option, or it feels like torture. I have to confess that I lost my weight before I started an exercise program. I didn't just lose a few pounds either…. I lost 54lbs BEFORE I started exercising. It was not until I had lots of flabby skin to tone up that I made myself find the time to fit exercise into my schedule. Using our weight management program which helps to balance the metabolism was all that my body needed to shed the fat.

I say this not to upset the exercise gurus who read this, but to encourage people who aren't to the place in their journey that they are ready to implement exercise. I can also offer encouragement by saying that all my clients who started out in that position, now enjoy pain free exercise and have found a way to fit it into their busy lives. Now to appease my gym rat friends a little more – even though exercise isn't necessary for your weight loss program, it *is* necessary for your fitness program. Most of us who have weight loss as a goal would also have 'being more healthy' as our 'why' for setting that goal. So, you aren't off the hook!

You can NOT be healthy without some form of physical activities which include aerobic and anaerobic routines. We might think we are healthy because we are at our ideal weight, but unless you are physically exerting yourself, your heart and lungs will be weak. You must get your heart rate up higher than normal in order to 'exercise' your cardiovascular system. Most of us are familiar with aerobic exercise, but I thought including the following description would be helpful in understanding the differences in aerobic and anaerobic so you can incorporate both in your program.

"The term "anaerobic" means "without air" or "without oxygen." Anaerobic exercise uses muscles at high intensity and a high rate of work for a short period of time. Anaerobic exercise helps us increase our muscle strength and stay ready for quick bursts of speed. Think of short and fast when you think of anaerobic exercise.

Examples of anaerobic exercise include heavy weight lifting, sprinting, or any rapid burst of hard exercise. These anaerobic exercises cannot last long because oxygen is not used for energy and a by-product, called lactic acid, is produced.

Lactic Acid contributes to muscle fatigue and must be burned up by the body during a recovery period before another anaerobic bout of exercise can be attempted. The recovery period also allows the muscles to use oxygen to replenish the energy used during the high intensity exercise.

Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, includes lower intensity activities performed for longer periods of time. Activities like walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling require a great deal of oxygen to make the energy needed for prolonged exercise.

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercises are needed for the development of physical fitness. Check with your healthcare provider before you start an exercise program. Choose activities that you enjoy, and that are readily accessible." – taken from the University of Iowa's website.

Many people think that if they are walking 3-5 times a week that should be enough. Even though that is better than no exercise, it is doubtful that it will facilitate weight loss, and it is definitely not enough to support good cardiovascular health. Zumba is the latest craze, and is lots of fun. I am a social exerciser so finding classes at the local gym was what it took for me to "take the plunge." I really like Body Pump too because it includes enough weights to double as aerobic exercise and weight training. R.I.P.P.E.D. is probably my favorite thus far, but is not the best class for beginners because of its intensity. Whether you get to the gym for a fun class, or order a DVD so you can get all sweaty and stinky in the privacy of your own home, find something to do to get your heart rate up, your lungs working at full capacity, and your muscles moving enough to at least feel it the next day. Find something to do that you enjoy, or you won't stick with it. And just like dieting… exercising is NOT going to work for you if you have a short term attitude about it. It needs to be a lifestyle change.

Even though exercise is not necessary to lose weight, it is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. As the Nike slogan goes…. "Just Do It!" Do it for your figure, but most importantly, do it for your health!

Why Low Fat is Bad

As I was selecting a package of cream cheese at the store yesterday, I picked up a package of fat free cream cheese by mistake. When I read the ingredients, I was appalled. (Not that I would have purchased it, but I have become a habitual label reader.) Among other non-natural ingredients was Titanium (for color.) I will save a discussion on artificially coloring our foods for another day, but I had to mention this, because I was already prepared to talk about the benefits of having enough (good) fat in your diet.

We have bought the lie that fat is bad, and it needs to be only 10% of our daily intake…. And yet those people who adhere to the low fat, low calorie mentality are the ones who struggle with their weight… and often end up with diabetes or "metabolic syndrome." Our metabolisms were not designed to eat the "foods" we eat today. The syndrome we have is a syndrome of unhealthy eating, and misinformation. One large piece of misinformation that we have bought "hook, line, and sinker" is the notion that fats are bad for you and cause you to have high cholesterol. It is true that some fats are bad, but we have gone beyond throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Avoiding all fats is a contributing factor to the overall poor health in our nation. Our bodies NEED fat. In fact, each of the trillions of cells in our body must have fat in order to function properly. The fancy term we use for these fats that are integral to the outer structure of each cell is "lipid." Lipids, combined with certain plant based carbohydrates, send important messages to the immune system. Without enough fats in our diets, our body struggles to communicate properly…. And the end result is more frequent illnesses, cancers, and auto-immune conditions.

Our bodies need fat. Some of us even need as much as 30% fat on a daily basis. And yet, we are bombarded with slick marketing that tells us to avoid fat, but not fattening foods… just substitute low fat, and all of a sudden ice cream no longer needs to be eaten in moderation. In the first place, the dairy products in the store are bad for you, period, regardless of whether they are made from skim milk, or whole milk. Cow milk creates an acidic environment in the body. What you buy at the store has been pasteurized (killed) and homogenized (molecularly changed.) When you kill the enzymes, you facilitate "lactose intolerance." In the raw version, you would get the enzyme lactase, which is necessary to digest lactose. Our bodies don't make lactase. So the end result is NO ONE drinking pasteurized milk is able to process lactose unless they are consuming a live enzyme supplement. You'll even find special milk that has lactase added back in. Intrinsically, there is something wrong with this picture… but you will find it throughout the grocery store. We kill the food and then "enrich" it with supplemental vitamins and such that were originally there in the first place. But now I am off on a tangent… I'll save further discussion for another blog post.

Don't read what I am saying to mean that it is okay to eat any kind of fat! Fried foods should still be avoided. Hydrogenated oils (aka trans fats) should not be a part of anyone's diet who wants to stay healthy. Oh, and by the way, even if it says 0 trans fats, still read the label. If the serving has less than a gram, they can legally say "0 trans fats." Hydrogenated oils are found in many breads, most crackers, margarine, Crisco, and most anything processed that contains flour. Why? It is cheaper. And what detriment is it to us to consume it? Hydrogenated oil, like homogenized milk, is molecularly changed. In the case of milk, the fat is bound to the other molecules so the cream doesn't separate. In the case of hydrogenated oils, it is molecularly changed so that something that was originally liquid becomes solid. And then we wonder why we have hardening of our arteries, and fatty deposits all throughout our cardiovascular system. But all fats arent bad. Saturated fats are good for you, and are an important part of a balanced diet. Examples of foods containing good fats are: almonds, flax seed (freshly ground), butter (in moderation), walnuts, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, & olive oil (cold processed), cheeses, sour cream, eggs (yolk too)….in other words – naturally occurring fats. We won't lump meat fats into that list because naturally raised meat is naturally low fat!

How this relates to people being overweight could be considered theoretical… or just common sense applied. It is a known fact that our bodies respond to food differently when we are in "starvation mode." When we don't eat enough, our body goes into reserve and holds on to calories it would otherwise burn, hibernation, if you will. When we starve our bodies of fats, something similar happens. If you aren't getting enough good fats in your diet, your body won't turn loose of its stored fat, and instead you will begin to burn muscle for energy.

It is also important to know how our bodies react when we are out of balance in the foods we eat. Hopefully I can explain this in a way that is easy to understand. Our bodies produce insulin to offset the rise in sugar that gets dumped into the bloodstream when we are digesting foods. When we eat lots of carbs without a balance of fats and proteins, we overwork our pancreas trying to produce enough insulin to bring the blood sugar down to an acceptable level. This is where the "glycemic index" becomes important to consider. Though I don't subscribe to the plan on this website I like their glycemic list better than others I have seen. It is important to know that you can choose your portions wisely and still not totally give up the high glycemic foods you love. However, when all we eat are high glycemic foods, the end result is bound to be diabetes. Our undernourished cells eventually become insulin resistant (poor communication) and our overworked pancreas eventually gives out, and even "Type II" Diabetics become insulin dependent. The other thing that happens is the digestive system takes the easiest route in order to divert all the body's energy to lower the blood sugar. That "route" is to store everything as fat! We encourage this viscous cycle by eating processed carbs and avoiding fats and proteins. So… the skinny on fats is: If you don't eat enough, it might make you fat!

 

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Allergies - What Can You Do?

In some areas there are still pollen clouds in the air, and yellow dust coats every horizontal exterior surface. We also discussed the respiratory system on Blogtalk Radio this week, and talked about allergies and asthma. With this in mind, it seems appropriate to address allergies here too. This is the time of year when everyone is wondering what the best seasonal allergy treatment is. Find relief from a seasonal/pollen allergy IS possible! And it doesn’t have to consist of over the counter drugs to mask the symtoms until the pollen clears the air either.

Not all allergies are seasonal however. Many people suffer from various food allergies, dust and mold allergies, and even allergies to certain types of animals. It is important to note that all allergies have the same basic root cause, and all allergies can be improved naturally. That is not to say there are natural allergy cures. The word ‘cure’ has become a forbidden word in the natural world. According to the FDA food can’t cure anything. Maybe a better term would be spontaneous recovery? In this case what happens with natural allergy treatments is you restore the body’s ability to handle the offending allergens properly.

First it would help to understand the basic premise: in the simplest terms, allergies are caused by improper communication within the body. When the immune system identifies foreign objects its job is to isolate and eliminate. Allergies are the result of an immune system gone awry. It attacks, but never shuts down, resulting in extreme inflammation. The standard medical treatment is to address the symptom, and not the cause. One simple way to alleviate the problem is to avoid the allergen. Of course, sometimes that is easier said than done. Another typical treatment is to take antihistamines. Our body normally produces histamines, but when allergies develop, the histamine production goes into overdrive. Using antihistamines will grant relief, but it won’t eliminate the problem. Sometimes, when allergies are severe, the protocol will include steroids. Allergies also contribute to asthma, which can be life threatening. Medications have their place, are often necessary, and are great for relieving allergy symptoms; but they will never help your body to overcome allergies.

So, what is a ‘natural treatment’ for allergies? Proper nutrition is the key… along with adequate rest and moderate exercise. Stress is a major offender in all areas of health, and allergies are no exception. There are many, many people who are finding that their seasonal allergy symptoms completely disappear when they incorporate good, quality nutrition and live a healthy lifestyle. It sounds very simplistic, and in all honesty, it is. The biggest challenge is finding real nutrition in the denatured foods we eat. The answer is to supplement with a high quality supplement which includes vitamins & minerals, amino acids, omega fats, and antioxidants.

If you are looking to learn how to treat pollen or seasonal allergies naturally, the best remedy available is a clean diet with proper nutrition. Don’t be surprised if implementing this helps your other allergies too. Regardless of whether they are food allergies, pet allergies, or pollen allergies, the solution is the same. Give your body what it needs so that it can correct the communication breakdown, and your allergies symptoms will vanish faster than the pollen does!

So, I guess I got the cart before the horse. In my rush to publish an article related to the digestive system, and the radio talk show, I failed to introduce the Better Health series. I actually started writing these articles last year, but didn't publish very many of them before I put the project on hold. This time, I will follow through and cover different areas from A to Z.

The goal of this series is to explore some of the many health conditions that people suffer from today, and look at causes and solutions. You will never find me using the words “treat, cure, or mitigate” because those are words that are basically trademarked solely for the use of pharmaceutical companies. It is a sad fact, but in reality, drugs don't “treat, cure, or mitigate” either. The vast majority (95%) simply mask symptoms. The other 5 percent (antibiotics fall into this category) often fail to accomplish their purpose simply because they have been so overused. We now have what the medical community calls “super bugs” that have mutated and adapted to render antibiotics a useless defense.

We pray for cures, when in fact, the answers are right before our eyes. The causes of all disease trace back to three primary factors – toxic overload, nutritional deficiencies, and parasites. You might also see some references to viruses and bacteria, but the body could defend itself against these if it weren't for those three root causes. It is important to not discount the importance of adequate pure clean water, good restful sleep, and exercise. Those are three simple additions to anyone's regime that will improve overall health. However, many people find themselves in a state of health that prevents them from getting proper rest and exercise.

The easiest route to take becomes the one so many people walk down. First one drug to mask the symptom, then another to bring down the blood pressure, then another for cholesterol...and next thing you know, there is another drug for pain relief, one to help you sleep, and one for acid reflux. And lastly, you'll find that weight gain occurs and many times with that comes diabetes. Adding in an anti-depressant will almost inevitably happen somewhere along the way. I have a saying... “Drugs are like Lays Potato Chips. You can't just take one.” Once you start, one gets stacked on top of the other, to remedy the side effect the first one caused. At some point, people will either get fed up, or die from the combination of the original problem and the toxic overload caused by the multiple prescriptions. I am writing these articles to benefit the people that are in the “fed up” category.

So then the question becomes....where to start? Even though the answer to that question is best targeted to each individual, there are some generic guidelines to follow. First of all, don't expect results over night. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, nor did your body get in the shape it is in overnight. It won't recover overnight either! How quickly you get your body back to optimal health will directly correlate to how committed you are to making changes. If you goal is to eliminate medications, you need to have a sit down with your doctor (or more likely PA) and tell him/her that you are making lifestyle changes and would like to come up with a plan to eliminate prescriptions as your health improves. Find out which drugs you can eliminate at your own discretion. Pain meds and indigestion meds often fall into this category. Get a base line on your blood pressure and blood work so that you can re-evaluate at reasonable intervals. If your focus is on reducing blood pressure prescriptions, keep a log. Then start making simple changes. Baby steps are much more effective than a massive overhaul. Small changes stick; major changes cause revolts. You can bring your family along on the health journey with you if the adjustments are gradual.

There are 5 major offenders that need to be removed from the diet. Some will argue that there are others, and I would agree. However, even just removing these 5 from the diet are a challenge many can't tackle. It is next to impossible to eliminate them all, so focusing on a few of the worst ones is better than being overwhelmed and quitting before you get started. Typically I suggest people just start with one at a time, and then progressively eliminate them all. Tackle the easiest one first. Success breeds success. You will be much more likely to continue down the path to better health if you find it easy to walk down.

Next week we explore what those five offensive foods are….so stay tuned! Feel free to comment with your ‘guesses’. Anyone (who has never heard me speak) that can list off all five, will win a Skinny Mini – 4 day trial pack!

ABCs of Better Health – Acid Reflux

I will be writing a series of articles on various health challenges that can be addressed naturally. Emilio and I are talking about the different systems of the body on Blogtalk Radio on Mondays at 2pm. This week we discussed the digestive system, and how it affects our overall health, as well as ways to ensure that your digestive system is functioning optimally. This week's blog will briefly address acid reflux and the simplest way to overcome it naturally. Millions of Americans suffer from Acid Reflux and most of them turn to acid reducing drugs for help. Unfortunately they don't realize that masking the symptoms creates even worse problems.

Acid reflux is rooted in the deficiency of enzymes in our current food supply. Enzymes are necessary for proper food digestion, just as stomach acids are required. When enzymes aren't present, our bodies try to compensate by increasing acid production. The result: too much acid, and incredible discomfort. Following the typical allopathic method of treating the symptom without addressing the problem will indeed make one feel better, but in the long run it can also result in much worse problems such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, leaky gut, and even colon cancer. It is not uncommon for the 'end result' of continued medical treatment to be removal of portions of the colon!

A more common sense approach would be to determine WHY the stomach is producing too much acid. Almost always, adding good quality enzymes and improving the diet will alleviate the problem. It is also prudent to use some form of a colon cleanse to rid the body of all the undigested foods that clog up the intestines and lead to other illnesses. Much of what we consume today is toxic in some way. Very few of us eat a totally raw, organic diet...and unless we do, it is important to be proactive in supporting our digestive health.

Whether we suffer from acid reflux or not, it is prudent to do a cleanse at least yearly. There are several good enzyme products on the market, and a plethora of colon cleanses (some more detrimental than beneficial.) Care should be taken that you get a good quality product, else you won't get good results. It is not a good idea to use colon cleanse type products long term, nor should they be used as a method for weight loss. They WILL greatly enhance a weight loss program, but if they are being used AS a weight loss program, they are too harsh. One of my favorites is the "Master Cleanse" – mainly because it involves using simple ingredients you can find at the grocery store, and it isn't harsh. Even things that are healthy for us, if used improperly can be harmful. Don't confuse "detox" or "digestive support" types of products with "colon cleanse". The Miracle Tea is designed to support the digestive system and detox organs (such as the liver and kidneys) and is gentle enough to be used through the duration of the weight management program. It is also a good addition to include once or twice a week regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight or not. Enzymes and probiotics can be use daily as they are simply rebuilding the digestive environment we have destroyed with poor eating habits and excessive use of antibiotics. Many people find that when they use the Smart Mix they no longer need to supplement with enzymes. Since it is never heated during processing and hasn't been denatured in any way, it is still enzymatically alive.

Including raw foods in the diet on a daily basis will also go a long way towards restoring proper digestion. Be sure to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables, and include a wide variety. Your best bet is to buy them from a local grower if you aren't able to grow your own. Next best would be to purchase from the local Farmer's Market, but buying them at the grocery store is better than getting a fruit cup with your Big Mac. Not to downplay the benefit of trading fruit for fries, but your commitment to change needs to be bigger than that! Make it your goal to eat something raw with each meal for a week, and see if you can turn that into a habit. Your colon will thank you!

My goal in writing the ABC's of Better Health is to help people seek out natural solutions before turning to drugs for answers. There are cases which are more difficult to 'solve' but I am convinced that natural answers can be found, and it is very rare that drugs are necessary...especially on a long term basis.

Quick Easy Weight Loss, Part 2

There are several mental triggers that sabotage healthy quick weight loss. Some cravings come from addictions, and others come from our body's need for nutrition, and still others are set off when we put ourselves on a "diet" that denies us the things we love most. If there was a way to overcome cravings, it would be much easier to lose weight. Let's look at some things that you can do to help.

A very simple way to help stave off cravings is to ensure you are drinking enough water. Many times when we think we are hungry, we are really just thirsty. Try it! Next time you think you are hungry or get the munchies, drink 12-16oz of water and wait ten minutes. Another neat trick is to brush your teeth. Sometimes it is a lingering taste that will trigger or tastebuds and cause us to want to eat.

Sadly, we have evolved to a point where our "food" doesn't provide us with adequate nutrition anymore, and our brain is in a constant state of signaling that it needs more nutrition, which in turn sets off a series of events which cause us to feel hungry. One easy way to overcome nutritional cravings is to provide our bodies with all the nutrition they need. I think we can all agree that we can't get what we need from our grocery store. For years the only way to get everything we needed was to take 4 or 5 different supplements, typically resulting in at least 2 hands full of pills. Now, with Zija's revolutionary proprietary Moringa product, we can have all that and then some. It not only includes all your vitamins and minerals, it includes all the necessary amino acids, the omega fats in a perfect balance, 36 anti-inflammatories, and 46 antioxidants. No other botanical even comes close to being as nutrient dense as Moringa, and Zija International has harnessed that nutritional power by painstakingly preserving it in its natural state, and utilizing all the beneficial parts of the tree. The end product contains a blend of the leaf, the seed, and the fruit. It is never heated, is still enzymatically alive, and is not denatured in any way. Most people find that they are not as hungry, and lose their sweet and salty cravings.

Probably the most frustrating and overwhelming cravings we have are the emotional ones. We eat when we are stressed. We eat when we are 'hormonal'. We eat when we are sad. We eat when we are mad. And for many, it seems as if this is the biggest challenge – overcoming the urge to eat every time our mood changes. One of the biggest hurdles to jump is the battle that goes on in the brain when these urges hit. Zija's Weight Management system addresses this with the XM3 "Body In Balance" capsule. By strategically including Dutch cocoa, and other healthy, natural, ingredients, the capsule arrests emotional cravings, helps us not be as hungry, and makes us feel full faster. As one client said, "It frees you from bondage to food." I call it coaching in a capsule because it allows people to easily push away from the table, and effortlessly walk away from the foods that used to taunt them. Self control is simple when you have the XM3 capsule on your side. To add the icing to the proverbial cake, you don't feel like you are denying yourself the things you love, so they don't tempt you like they would if they were not on the "diet menu". To top it off, you'll also experience targeted fat loss because it helps to trigger leptin production which in turn helps the body burn fat.

Using these two components of the system will help you to overcome your cravings and have healthy, quick, and easy weight loss. In another blog I will talk about the Miracle Tea, and the importance of detoxing while shedding fat.

 

Zija's XM3 Weight Mangement is:

A system

that doesn't restrict you…

that retrains your brain to want more healthy food….

that empowers you to be able to walk away without overeating…

that gives you victory in the battle of the bulge by burning fat.