Let The Revolution Begin!

A revolution has begun amongst those of us who are health and fitness advocates, and celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver is leading the way with his new ABC Show called “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”. 

Admittedly, I don’t watch television.  However, I do feel that this is quality television that is worth my time and everyone else’s time to be watching. For those of you who have been asleep about the obesity epidemic amongst adults and children, this show certainly is a wake up call to our nation.

The premiere episode takes place in Huntington, WV, which is reported to be the unhealthiest city in America.  Jamie is on a mission to help educate the town about how their poor lifestyle choices are affecting the town’s health, and the importance of eating a healthy diet and how to prepare healthy meals.

The Revolution is met with resistance

Jamie is not received very well in the town.  In fact, he is met with a lot of resistance; basically viewing him as if he were their enemy.  It’s so sad to see a town that already knows that their poor lifestyle habits have placed them on the map as “the unhealthiest city in America” have this kind of reaction.  I couldn’t help but ask myself why are these people so reluctant to change and improve their health?  Why do they look at Jamie Oliver as their enemy?  Why are they being so resistant? 

Hate to say this, but Huntington, WV is just like any other city in America.  People are resistant to change.  It’s hard and it takes work.  People know they shouldn’t be eating the junk they eat and yet continue doing so despite any current health problems or health risks.

Jamie, who has an abundance of resources at his disposal, certainly is fighting an uphill battle with the people of Huntington.  Watching the walls and red tape that he encounters and his charge to lead the way to overcome those obstacles is inspiring to someone like me who is trying to help spread the same message.   

The Edwards Family

One subject that the show touches on, but not in much depth is child obesity.  Jamie befriends The Edwards Family and meets their teenage son, Justin.  Justin and Jamie bond immediately as Justin sees Jamie as someone who can help him and wants help.  Justin confides to Jamie that he’s tired of being heavy and bullied by the other kids at school about his weight.  If you watch closely enough to the episode, it is very clear that overweight kids know they are overweight and desperately want help.  They want to learn how to improve their health and lose weight. 

Jamie shows the Edwards family just how unhealthy the foods they eat are.  The mother of the family, Stacie Edwards, becomes tearful and emotional when she becomes aware that what she is feeding her family has no nutritional value and that she is putting their health and their future at risk.  Jamie buys them a week’s worth of healthy groceries, teaches them how to cook and provides them with healthy recipies they can cook.  Unfortunately, when Jamie returns to visit the family a week later, he is suspicious that they went back to their unhealthy eating habits.

School Lunches

The school nutritional regulations are atrocious and make no sense.  The schools feed the kids the most unhealthy, processed foods.  Making the switch over to feeding the children more healthy and nutritious meals shockingly doesn’t meet school nutritional guidelines.  The red tape and regulations are killing our kids.  The sad truth is that for many kids, the only meal they get is their school lunch.  I guess that explains why kids will eat something they know is gross and bad for them, simply because they are hungry.

Getting kids to eat healthier is not impossible, however, as Jamie experienced, you really need to get the parents and schools on the same page about nutrition as ultimately, we are the ones feeding our children and teaching them about foods, nutrition and health.

Visit Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution site and join the revolution! http://www.jamieoliver.com/

To get an idea of what kids are being fed in schools, check out this clip from the show.

Red Light, Green Light Eat Right FitTalk Interview

FitTalk Interview with

Author,  Dr. Joanna Dolgoff M.D.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right - The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids

www.drdolgoff.com

Click here to listen to Show Podcast

As any parent knows, getting your kids the right foods in the right portions can be a challenge.  More than 18 million American children are at risk for developing obesity-related diseases. 

To help give our kids the tools they need for a healthy future, pediatrician, Dr. Joanna Dolgoff created Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right, a safe, effective plan for the whole family that uses the colors of the traffic light to divide food into three categories.  This program is customizable, interactive, and fun and will help your family lose weight and start living a healthier, together!

Dr. Dolgoff appears frequently on national and local media as a childhood obesity expert.  She is also a contributor to The Huffington Post.

She is the creator and founder of Dr. Dolgoff’s Weigh (www.drweigh.com). She attended Princeton University and graduated cum laude with a degree in molecular biology. She was elected to the Sigma Chi International Research Honor Society based on her research done at Princeton. Dr. Dolgoff earned her Reebok fitness instructor certification during this time and taught fitness classes at Princeton University and at various gyms in the Princeton area. Dr. Dolgoff continued her education at NYU School of Medicine, earning the award for Outstanding Student in Pediatrics and serving as president of the NYU Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society. She also founded and ran the NYU School of Medicine Step Aerobics fitness program and taught at Synergy fitness clubs in Manhattan. Dr. Dolgoff completed her pediatric residency at Columbia Presbyterian Children’s Hospital of New York. She has previously worked as a private practice pediatrician, helping many children reach their weight loss goals. She is a board certified fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Most importantly, she is a proud mother of two children, ages 7 and 4. She and her husband live in Roslyn, New York.

The Child Obesity Epidemic

As we know, child obesity is an epidemic.  A recent study showed that Most Parents Don't Realize Their 4 Or 5-Year-Olds Are Overweight or Obese, and as you state in your book, Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right, think that “baby fat” will melt away as their kids get older.  This is a serious misconception parents have about their children.  Our idea of what a child should look like is so skewed, that over 70% of parents of overweight and obese children think that their children are either normal weight or underweight.  The problem with this misconception is that parents are not seeking treatment for their children because they don’t think there’s a problem, so to they’re not trying to get their kids healthier by eating better and encouraging them to exercise.

The emotional side of obesity

Overweight and obese teens and children carry around more than just excess weight. They also carry some oversized emotional and physical worries.  Emotions start with shame, loneliness and embarrassment.  Kids feel awful.  They tend not to have many friends and there’s a much more risk of depression in an overweight or obese child.  The emotional aspects these kids have get carried on into adulthood. 

Acanthosis Nigricians – An early warning detector

Dr. Dolgoff points out something very interesting in her book, Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right that most parents, teachers and care givers may not know about called acanthosis nigricians.  And yes, that is quite a mouth full.  Acanthosis nigricians is a thickening and darkening of the skin in the back of the neck that looks almost like a velvety textured pigmentation in the back of the neck.  It’s a sign of pre-diabetes.  Very few parents know about this and very rarely do pediatricians diagnosis this.  This is the first thing Dr. Dolgoff looks for and she sees this 2-3 times a day in her office.  Children who have this are at a much higher risk for the development of diabetes.  To check your child, look by the hairline at the back of the neck. 

When it comes to nutrition, children are not mini adults

In an effort to help their child lose weight, some parents may put their children on a popular adult diet not realizing that the dietary needs of children are different from adults which can be dangerous.  Children have different nutritional and caloric needs throughout the various stages of development.  The nutritional needs of a six year old are different from the nutritional needs of a nine year old and so on.  When you put a child on an adult diet, you’re not giving them any of the nutrients they actually need.  Children on adult diets can have vitamin deficiencies.  Their growth can be impacted if they are not getting enough calories or nutrients. They’re not going to grow and they are not going to develop normally. 

All of these adult fad diets are unsafe for children, especially the low carb/high protein diets.  Kids need carbohydrates for energy and development.  Not only are these diets not safe for children, they are also ineffective.  Children on low carb diets will cheat.  They binge on carbs behind their parent’s back.  What will happen is that the child will feel like they are failing.  They tried a diet; they failed and will be more reluctant to try something that will help them.

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right takes into account the child’s age and gender.  You can’t put kids on a one size fits all diet.  They backfire.

Your child knows he/she is overweight - Don’t ignore your child’s weight

As a parent, you know that excess weight creates serious health and social obstacles for your child. You want to help, but you don’t know how. You don’t want to ignore that your child is overweight.  Overweight kids know they are overweight.  If you are not talking about it, chances are the kids on the playground are talking about it. 

Not talking about it with your children can make them feel shameful, thinking you are ashamed of them for not saying anything about it.  “I know I’m overweight, but mom doesn’t say anything about it.  She must be embarrassed.”  These are the kids that turn to unsafe measures to lose weight.  Those are the kids who are bingeing, purging and starving themselves. 

Studies show that if you treat an overweight child in a sensitive manner, you actually decrease the risk of them developing a disorder.  Don’t be afraid to talk to your child about weight.  However, you do want to make sure you are sensitive when you are having that conversation.

Talking to your child about weight

When you talk to your child about his or her weight, you do want to incorporate the word “we”.  “We” need to eat as healthy as possible.  Everyone is in it together.  I think “we” need to eat better.  I think “we” need to make healthier choices so that “we” can be healthier.  We need to make some changes to get healthier as a family.

With this approach, you’re including yourself in it.  You’re not accusing your child of anything, not making them feel like they’re being singled out, and you’re making it about health, not looks.  What you do want to do is pick a time that’s not around food. You don’t want to have this conversation over the dinner table. 

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right

Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right is a program Dr. Dolgoff created that teaches kids of all ages how to make healthy choices and keep the weight off using a color system that not only makes it fun, but is very simple for kids to understand.  Green light foods are the healthiest, yellow light foods are moderately healthy, and red light foods are the least healthy foods.  Depending on your child’s age, gender and weight loss goals, you pick a certain number of green light foods for your child to eat at certain meals and snacks.  Kids should have three meals and two snacks per day. 

They get two red light foods to use each week as they want so there are no foods that are off limits and there’s no deprivation.  Kids can go to a birthday party and eat pizza or cake and then make healthier choices during the week. 

If you want a yellow food, all you do is give up two green light servings.  There are no counting calories and Dr. Dolgoff’s program has a 90% success rate.

The most important meal of the day

Breakfast is without a doubt the most important meal of the day.  Most adults skip breakfast and kids tend to skip it as well or if they do have breakfast, it’s not one that’ll properly fuel them.  Studies show, children who eat breakfast perform better in school, have more energy and do better in sports.  You want to make sure you give your child protein and fiber to keep them full and you can quickly and easily feed your child a nutritious breakfast.

Not sure what to feed your children for breakfast?  No worries.  Dr. Dolgoff has some fun and simple breakfast ideas in her program.  A Dr. Dolgoff favorite is a Banana Dog which is simply 1 whole wheat hot dog roll, 1 tablespoon peanut butter spread on the bun, a banana, and 2 teaspoons sugar-free jelly on the banana.  Total prep time: 3 minutes

What about snacks?

Snacking has been a big issue for both parents and children.  Most of the time, snacks are shunned upon simply because they’re usually not healthy and parents think snacking will ruin their child’s appetite for lunch or dinner.  There is so much misinformation out there when it comes to children and snacking.

We need to eat every 3-4 hours to keep our metabolism up and keep our energy going.  Dr. Dolgoff tells her patients and their parents to think of your metabolism like a fire.  If you want to keep your fire burning strong all day, you have to put wood on your fire every so often. If you go too long without putting wood on your fire, your fire will go out.  Snacks help keep your fire burning, however, a snack should not be junk food.  Every meal and every snack should contain a little protein and fiber to help keep you full and going strong.

The Chicken Nugget Diet

Changing a child’s eating habits by introducing new foods to them can be frustrating and many children tend to be very fussy eaters and many parents believe that getting their kids to eat better is an uphill battle.  What is a parent to do with a child who is a fussy eater?

According to Dr. Dolgoff, many overweight kids started out as picky toddler eaters, having things like just chicken nuggets.  You need to imagine your child eating just that, every day for the rest of his or her life.  Don’t get your child started on bad habits because you think they are under weight and want them to eat something, no matter how bad it may be.  95% of the time, parents who think their kids are under weight are not under weight.  They may be thin, but they’re not under weight and there’s a big difference.  You don’t want to do the Chicken Nugget Diet for your child.  It’s one of the worst habits.

Dr. Dolgoff’s Two Bite Rule

Taste is a learned process.  If we are giving our children sugary foods, we’re not giving their taste buds a chance to develop a taste for more sophisticated foods.  You have to keep giving your kids the same foods.  Sometimes it will take 15-20 times of trying a food before a child will accept it.  Keep having them try the food even if your child hates it.  Have them take just two bites.  If they won’t eat anymore, that’s fine but stick to the two bite rule so that you’re training the taste buds to accept more tastes.

It’s a sweet and sugary world

We all know, the number one issue in most diets for children as well as adults is sugar and this causes a lot of confusion.  There are many different varieties of sugar.  High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is getting a lot of attention.  HFCS is another version of sugar.  The problem is that the food we feed our children has way too much sugar.  If you have an overweight child, we do know that sugar is the enemy which leads to weight gain and medical problems.   Dr. Dolgoff recommends artificial sweeteners over sugar.  According to the FDA, artificial sweeteners are perfectly safe for children in moderation.  Rather than give your child a lemonade loaded with sugar, you’re better off giving your child a Crystal Lite Lemonade.  Obviously water would be a better choice, but kids don’t want to drink water all the time.  In this case, artificial sweeteners are okay in moderation.

Dinner Dilemma

It’s dinner time.  Many people are pressed for time and on occasion, you may find yourself working later than expected or having to run your kids to an after school activity which can end late.  Many parents will say that they don’t have time to prepare dinner for the family or are too tired and end up ordering take out food.  What is a parent to do?  If you do find yourself in a restaurant, special order your meals. Most restaurants will accommodate you.  Order meals as plain as possible, meaning all sauces on the side.

To help reduce this type of situation, you can pre-plan meals so that you don’t have to end up at fast food places all the time.  On the weekends think about the meals you’re going to make during the week.  Go to the supermarket and get all the ingredients for all planned meals.  If you have recipes that call for chopped peppers, chop them up in advance and store them a baggie so that when you’re ready to make it on Tuesday night, you don’t have to start washing and chopping peppers.  When you plan and prepare, it’s easier to make healthy dinners.  Plan and prepare on weekends and you’ll find you won’t be running out to dinners as often.  Not only will this help improve your family’s waistline, it will also help you save money.

Do get your kids involved

Kids want to be involved.  Dr. Dolgoff suggests you sit down with them on the weekend and have them help plan meals; this way there’s no arguing because they are helping to plan the meals they like.  Be sure to offer only healthy options and let them choose ─ children like choices; however, you decide what they are choosing from.

Let your child help make the meals which gets the child further involved, teaches them how to cook and is great parent/child bonding.

Bring your kids to the supermarket and let them get involved in all aspects of healthier eating and you’ll have a much easier time. Have your child pick the vegetable of the week.  You can say to your child, “you pick the vegetable of the week, so this is going to be your special vegetable.”  When you are making the vegetable, you can tell your child, “I’m making your special vegetable.”  The child will be so much more likely to eat their vegetables if you approach it this way and they will be excited about it.

Life Happens

Life Happens.  Most kids don’t want to draw attention to the fact that they’re on a diet and not feel like they’re part of the group.  Seems like birthday parties are constant, social meals out on the town with friends and then you have holidays.  How do you help your child handle these situations? Well no worries, on this.  Dr. Dolgoff has the solution. 

Each child gets two red light foods per week.  If you know your child is going to a birthday or holiday party, save the red light foods for that day.  Tell your kids don’t a red light food when they’re home alone or when they’re just with their parents.  Save your red light foods for a time when they’re being social and that is when they can eat a cup cake and be one of the group.  If you’ve run out of red light foods and something unexpected happens, have a bite of something and say you’re not hungry rather than saying I’m on a diet; or you can say I don’t really like that kind of cookie even if you do.  These are coping strategies your kids can use after they’ve used up their red light foods.

If you have a teenager, you know that your child will be going out to restaurants with their friends and the best way to handle this is by planning ahead.  Teenagers and adults tend to frequent at least 5 places.  If you have a favorite Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Sushi or Diner, that you end up at, think of a healthy meal at each place so that you don’t have to know where you are going; you already know what the healthiest choices are at each place so you don’t have to worry about it while you are with your friends.  What you are doing is walking yourself through the situation mentally in advance on how you are going to handle the situation which can really make a big difference.

Fitness is for kids

Fitness is for children and it can be fun.  Take your child’s age and personality into account when planning activities.  If your child is very social, a group fitness activity with other kids may be fun.  If your child is more artistic, perhaps your child will enjoy dance or yoga.  Match fitness to your child’s personality.  You don’t necessarily have to put your child on a treadmill.  There are so many other ways to get your child moving. 

WiiFit is a great fun way to get your child moving.  State parks or local parks are great for running, walking, biking and you can do this as a family.  Tell your kids we’re going for fun in the park.  Present fitness as fun.  You want to build enthusiasm and excitement when you talk about an activity.

Getting with the Program

Dr. Dolgoff can work with anyone, anywhere through her on line program, http://www.drdolgoff.com.  Once you sign up and enter your information, it will come up with a program for you to follow and the price is very reasonable.  The program contains a complete data base of foods, tons of recopies, sample meals, nutrition lessons and a forum to connect with others who are doing the program.  This is great for your kids as they can make friends with other kids doing the program and it helps them feel like they’re not the only one doing this.

Dr. Dolgoff’s take home message

The most important aspect of helping an overweight/obese child is not to ignore the issue.  If your kids are overweight, kids do not grow out of baby fat.  You decrease the risk of an eating disorder when you address the issue in a sensitive way and you give your children the tools they need to make healthy changes on their own.

For a truly inspiring story, Dr. Dolgoff and her patient, Tiffany Fellus has lost 30 pounds since last June were recently featured on the local New York Fox affiliate.  http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/beating-childhood-obesity-20100325

Conacting Dr. Dolgoff

Website:  http://www.drdolgoff.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/joannadolgoffmd

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DrDolgoff

Order Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right: The Food Solution That Lets Kids Be Kids

Hey Ladies, Got Muscle????

Seem like many women have been asking me the same question this past week.  How do I get rid of the flab.  How do I tone up?  The picture above is me.  I'm lean and I do have muscle, however, I'm not as lean and muscular as some of my physique athlete competitors.  That's OK.  I'm no longer looking to do figure competition. At the age of 46, my goal is to be as healthy and physically fit as possible.


Getting back to the question that keeps popping up, in order to get rid of the flab and "tone up", you need to not spend as much time doing cardio/aerobics and spend more time in the weight room at the gym, and I'm not talking about the Nautalus or Cybex machines.  You need to hit the iron.  Dumbbells, Barbells and Cable. 

If you are using dumbbells, let's say for example you're doing bicep curls with 5 lb dumbells and you've been knocking out  15 - 20 reps of those, you're not building muscle.  Actually, you're not doing much of anything.  It's time to move on.  Don't be afraid to get aggressive with the weights.  Pick up a set of 10 lb dumbbells and if you're still able to do 15 reps easily with those, go for the 15 pounders.  You should be doing 10 -12 reps.  You should feel a burn and fatigue.  That's working the muscle.  To get muscle, you need to build it and to build it, you need to get aggressive with the weights.


Then the next comment I hear is, "but I'm afraid I'll get big and bulky".  No you won't.  That's the biggest myth out there.  We don't have testosterone.  We're not going to get big and bulky and I can assure you, you won't look like a female bodybuilder either.


Muscle is metabolic.  Muscle burns fat.  Strength training increases the metabolism 72 hours after exercise unlike cardio.


The other thing you need to remember to do is EAT.  Women tend to eat a diet high in carbohydrates and don't eat enough protein.  You should be having protein with every meal and never eat a carbohydrate without a protein. 


The easiest, most convenient way to get protein in your diet is with a protein shake.  You can supplement your diet with these by having one as a mid morning snack and be sure to have one after your workouts to help your body recover from the workout.  My protein supplement of choice is Eat Smart.



iSatori EatSmart, 30 Servings, Strawberry Cheesecake




Next time you're at the gym, remember to hit the iron to build a beautiful, sleek,body.

Avoid This Food For a Lean Body

Guest Blogger Jamin Thompson
Author - The 6 Pack Secret

If there's anyone who knows about 6 Pack Abs, it's my friend, Jamin Thompson and his picture surely proves it. 

The timing of this article couldn't have been more perfect.  One of my clients recently discovered rice cakes and he was eating several of them a day thinking that these made for a great healthy, low calorie snack.  Years ago, I too had the same misconception about these. 

My friend and colleague, Jamin, recently wrote an article about rice cakes and I am proud to share his article on FitTalkNews as a guest blogger.

Enjoy ~

I was sitting here today thinking to myself, what's the very worst food you can eat if you're trying to lose weight, burn fat, tone up, etc?

One food that is often eaten by dieters, but ironically works against them in losing weight is rice cakes. Yes rice cakes! You are probably eating one right now thinking that you are burning fat and toning right up! Yes, rice cakes are relatively low in calories, but the real downside is that they spike blood sugar and insulin levels.

This is not what you want if you are looking to lose weight, burn fat, or tone up! If you are on a weight loss diet, fat loss diet, etc, your main goal should be to slow the digestion and release of carbohydrate into the blood and to try and controlling blood sugar. This is a critical element of any nutrition program. Amazingly, rice cakes increase blood sugar levels by 50 percent more than eating an equal amount of table sugar!


Rice cakes and other foods that result in rapid digestion and release of sugar into the blood promote overeating, obesity, insulin resistance, and other metabolic disturbances contributing to disease. Have you noticed that with every rice cake you eat, you may feel hungrier and hungrier by the bite?


The glycemic index is a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels, with each food being assigned a numbered rating. The lower the rating, the slower the absorption and digestion process, which provides a more gradual, healthier infusion of sugars into the bloodstream.


On the other hand, a high rating means that blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood-sugar levels. These rapid fluctuations of blood-sugar levels are not healthy because of the stress they place on the body.


One of sugar's major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin level, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, which in turn depresses the immune system and shuts down the fat burning hormones. This is not something you want to take place if your goals are to become healthy, lose fat, and tone up.


An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body's blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin, which the body uses to keep blood-sugar at a constant and safe level. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat sweets high in sugar, or rice cakes for instance, you're making way for rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, both of which have been linked to cardiovascular disease and increased weight gain.


Complex carbohydrates tend to be absorbed more slowly, lessening the impact on blood-sugar levels. An example of a complex carbohydrate with a slow digestion process is plain oatmeal. In contrast, keeping blood sugar in check is associated with improved weight and fat loss, decreased appetite, and reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer.

TIP: Only consume rice cakes post workout when your body is primed to absorb and use the sugar for growth and recovery.

Jamin Thompson
Author
6PackSecret


Click Here! to visit Jamin Thompson at his site

Another Reason to STOP drinking Soda

Although I am a Fitness Professional, I am also a Natural Health Advocate. Fitness and health go hand in hand. To have a fit body, you need to also have a healthy body. I can show you some great workouts, but if you’re consuming foods and beverages that prevent you from obtaining optimal health, you’re not going to have a fit, healthy body.

I have reported on several reports about why soda is so bad for you. If you or your children are still drinking soda, here’s another reason why you may want to think about flushing that can of soda down the toilet and never buy another can of soda again.

I recently came across an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola explaining what happens to your body within an hour of drinking a soda. This is just one good example of the old saying “You Are What You Eat”, however, it’s more about what our bodies do with what we eat.

Before I do that, I’d like to share with you a video that was put out a few months ago by the New York Department of Health that should get your attention.



It’s no secret that soda is bad for your health in many ways. Per Dr. Mercola, here’s what happens inside your body when you assault it with a soda.

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.


Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.


Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.


Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.


After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.


More Soda Facts


One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. Not to mention the fact that it’s also your largest source of high-fructose modified corn syrup.


Here’s another sobering fact if you’re struggling with weight issues: Just one extra can of soda per day can add as much as 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a single year!


Other statistics on the health dangers of soft drinks include:

• One soda per day increases your risk of diabetes by 85 percent

• Soda drinkers have higher cancer risk. While the federal limit for benzene in drinking water is 5 parts per billion (ppb), researchers have found benzene levels as high as 79 ppb in some soft drinks, and of the 100 brands tested, most had at least some detectable level of benzene present

• Soda has been shown to cause DNA damage – courtesy of sodium benzoate, a common preservative found in many soft drinks, which has the ability to switch off vital parts of your DNA. This could eventually lead to diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's


If you are still drinking soda, stopping the habit is an easy way to improve your health. Pure water is a much better choice, or if you must drink a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water with a squirt of lime or lemon juice.


There is absolutely NO REASON your kids should ever drink soda. None, nada, zip, zero. No excuses. The elimination of soft drinks is one of the most crucial factors to deal with many of the health problems you or your children suffer.


If you are struggling with a soda addiction, I would recommend that you gradually cut back on your soda consumption. For example, if you are drinking 2 sodas per day, cut back to 1 ½ per day for a week, then the next week cut back to 1 soda per day, the following week cut back to ½ can of soda per day and then the following week stop.

Source:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/19/what-happens-to-your-body-within-an-hour-of-drinking-a-coke.aspx

New York City Dept of Health - Are You Pouring on the Pounds

Struggling With Weight Loss? You May Be Getting in Your Way

Just about everybody wants to lose weight, look better, feel better and be healthier.  The problem is, losing weight and getting healthier is a struggle for most people.  If it wasn’t, the weight loss industry wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry, obesity related illnesses wouldn’t be in the news everyday, and health care wouldn’t be the hotly debated issue it is.

As a fitness professional and natural health advocate, I do my part every day to provide my clients and followers with the best information possible to help them lose weight and improve their health.

I can provide you with the best nutritional information to help you lose weight and feel great.  I can tell you about the best workout programs out there designed for your fitness goals. I have the top experts in the health and fitness industry on my FitTalk Show giving top notch advice and information to my listeners.  It’s not like the best information void of hype and myth on how to safely and effectively lose weight and be healthier isn’t available to the public.

Everyone knows they need to exercise in order to lose weight and improve their overall health.  Despite this knowledge, the majority of the population makes excuses as to why they can’t exercise.  If you do “force” yourself to exercise, you’re hating every second of it, or probably not working out as intensely as you should, or avoid getting sweaty simply because “I don’t like to sweat”.

Everyone knows that eating junk food, drinking soda, consuming sugary snacks, etc., isn’t going to help them lose weight and improve their health, yet continue to consume these foods anyway.  Many of us give into the temptations of certain food aromas.  The smell of fresh baked goods, the smell of pizza, nacho’s etc.; it just calls out your name.

In the gym with my clients, I do everything I can to motivate them through their workouts and do my best to give them the best advice to overcome nutritional pitfalls.  I’ve had the experience that despite my best efforts, some people plain and simply hate to exercise regardless of what you do to try to make it fun and challenging; or, they enjoy their sessions with me, are working hard, but really struggle with their diets and overcoming temptations.

I know how frustrating weight loss can be and how frustrating it can be for a fitness or health professional to do all you can to help someone.  So why aren’t you reaching your goals, simply because – when it comes to your weight loss efforts, YOU are getting in your own way.  Well, actually, it’s your subconscious mind that’s getting in your way.

A conversation with a friend

I’m fortunate to have the friends and colleagues I have, and sometimes forget the role some of them play in the field of health, and leading Clinical Hypnotherapist, Steve G. Jones is one of them.

I recently had a conversation with Steve about this topic when he stops me mid-sentence and says to me, “Shari, sometimes to succeed, you need to get out of your own way, and in most cases, it’s the subconscious mind that gets in people’s way.”  Ah yes, the subconscious mind.  It’s what drives our behavior.  Well, if anyone would know about that, Steve is certainly an expert in this area.

In some cases, weight loss failure can stem from a fear of success that you’re not even aware of.  For those who come up with every excuse under the sun as to why you can’t or won’t exercise, according to Steve, it’s the subconscious mind that’s stopping you.  It’s what’s steering the ship so to speak.

Although there are many issues which contribute to struggles with diet, many dieting struggles are due to the subconscious mind which cause people to give in and eat foods they consciously know are bad for them, and end up feeling guilty, frustrated and angry with themselves for having given in and thus repeat the cycle.

Getting out your way with self hypnosis

Steve has been a guest on my FitTalk show, and explained to me how hypnosis works.  Hypnosis talks to the subconscious mind.  It is the subconscious mind that creates all kinds of resistance, self sabotage and negative inner conversations that prevent you from attracting what you want or achieving your goals.

We can hypnotize ourselves all day, every day.   When we talk to ourselves in a certain way, we hypnotize our selves.  Affirmations are vital.  If you have people around you saying “you can do it”, that’s an affirmation.  If you tell yourself “you can do it”, that’s an affirmation and that’s hypnosis.

A lot of hypnosis that happens to us, whether you believe in it or not, happens from ourselves, and our good friends believing in us or doubting our possibilities.  We need to be very aware of what programs us, even though we’re wide awake.

According to Steve, being under our own control can be a lot worse than being under the control of a hypnotherapist’s control.  We have thoughts in our minds that tell us we can’t do this or we don’t deserve this.

Hypnosis is a very easy state to achieve.  All you have to do is relax yourself.  Close your eyes and relax yourself and tell yourself positive affirmations.

Formal hypnotherapy can be more elaborate with induction, a deepening, a script – the affirmations/positive programming – however, with a hypnotherapy session, you’re dealing with the subconscious mind, and the affirmations take effect within a shorter period of time.  Then there is the “amnesia technique” which is designed for you to forget everything that’s in your mind.  The reason for the amnesia technique is that people will second guess themselves.  For example, their mind will tell them, “I know the hypnotherapist told me I’m great, but so and so said I wasn’t so I think the hypnotherapist may be wrong”.  The amnesia technique bypasses that critical factor that undoes everything.

The end of the hypnotherapy session is called Transtermination where the hypnotherapist brings you out of hypnosis.

For someone who make excuses as to why they can’t exercise, i.e., I don’t have enough time, I can’t afford to, or forces him/her self to exercise, hating every second of it, or probably not working out as intensely as they should, or avoid getting sweaty simply because “I don’t like to sweat”, Steve suggests his self hypnosis recording, “I love to exercise Self Hypnosis”.  Basically, what this recording does is tell your subconscious mind that you like to exercise.  By doing this, you’ll want to make time to exercise rather than keep telling yourself that you don’t have the time.  If you truly hate to exercise, you will be programming your self conscious mind that you do love to exercise and eventually, you will stop dreading your workouts, they won’t seem like a chore, you’ll enjoy them and really put yourself into your workouts achieving all the benefits exercise can do to keep you healthy, fit and slim.

How can hypnosis help you with weight loss?  A lot of the struggles people have with weight loss is mental.  There are addictions, cravings, emotional eating, self-sabotage and peer pressure sabotage associated with weight loss.  There is also the mental aspect of feeling like you’re depriving yourself of foods and dieting is like punishment for having been “bad” for allowing yourself to become overweight.  There are many negative thoughts and emotions that weight loss can bring which is within the subconscious mind. Although consciously you do want to lose weight, the subconscious mind will be telling you that you’ll never be thin, you don’t deserve this, why even bother with this, you’ll fail anyway.  Hypnosis can help you if you want a healthy relationship with food, with an end to constant dieting, overeating, and binge eating. Hypnosis can help you reach your natural weight without feeling deprived or hungry and suggests his Lose Weight Hypnosis recording to reprogram the subconscious mind so that you can lose weight safely, effectively and naturally.

Getting out of your own way by being mindful

You can start reprogramming yourself by being more mindful of your actions. If you struggle with weight loss whether your struggles are food or exercise related, the first step is to become more aware of your struggles.  If you gave into a temptation, write down the temptation, what triggered it, where you were or if you were with anyone.  Think about what you could’ve eaten instead of the choice you made, write it down and then next time you find yourself in that situation, you’ll be more aware of it and will make a better choice.  If you’ve been telling yourself that you should exercise, you’ll do it tomorrow and don’t, write down why you put it off.  You’ll become more aware of the excuses you make and how you can best manage your time to fit exercise into your life. 

To learn more about Steve G. Jones and how his self-hypnosis recordings can benefit you, visit his site http://budurl.com/BetterLivingHypnosis

(note: the links posted on this page are sponsored links, however, I do stand by my recommendations.)

Testosterone - The "T" Factor

The male hormone, Testosterone, is a key contributor to men’s health.  As Rick Collins, co-author of The Alpha Male Challenge said, “it’s what makes men, men”.  When you think about men and testosterone, the images that pop up in your mind are not very positive ones.  Hollywood and the media has portrayed men overloaded with testosterone as muscle heads, barbaric, abusive, hostile and psychotic.  It has wrongly been blamed for all negative behaviors among men.

“Testosterone, for all the good and bad publicity about it, is the hormone that makes males what they are.  It not only changes us physically, but affects us psychologically as well and, contrary to much publicity, those changes are pretty much all for the better when it comes to men; they relate to better cognitive function as we age as well as our dominant (not aggressive) attitude.  It is the “take charge and get things done” hormone” – Jack Darkes, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of South Florida

Most people know that testosterone (T) is responsible for sexual development in men and is important for libido and sexual function. However hormones, by definition, have effects throughout the body. There are testosterone receptors in nearly all tissues in the body, so this primary male hormone impacts nearly every organ system.

Testosterone influences psychological factors such as mood, memory, libido, assertiveness and confidence. It also affects physiological factors such as cholesterol levels, blood sugar which means equates to body fat and obesity.

The decline of testosterone

Studies have shown that over the past decade, men’s testosterone levels have been on the decline.  There was a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metaboliosm in January 2007 which provided evidence of a new physiological de-masculinization of the modern man. The study compared testosterone levels of three generations of men in the 80’s, 90’s and new decade and the news was quite troubling. Their study found that of the age-matched subjects, the men in the 80’s had higher average testosterone levels than the men of the 90’s, and the men of the new century have on average the LEAST testosterone of all. Simply put, testosterone levels are going down. 

Symptoms of Low Testosterone

Low libido
Decreased morning erections
Low energy or fatigue
Depressed mood
Irritability
Osteoporosis
Shrinking testicles
Loss of muscle mass or failure to gain muscle despite working out

What causes low testosterone?

Low testosterone may be caused by diseases of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland or testicles. Usually, however, low levels are the result of a natural decline with age (after the age of 40 or so) and/or lifestyle factors such as stress, physical inactivity, chronic illness, poor sleep or substance abuse (including tobacco and alcohol). To some degree this decrease in testosterone due to stress is evolutionary. The body's production of sex hormones is exquisitely sensitive to stress - be it physical or emotional. Testosterone in men drops in the face of chronic stress or anxiety, partly because the primal role of the sex hormone system is to drive reproduction. If the body senses an inability to care for itself, the last thing it wants is to produce a child needing to be taken care of in the face of such external stress. This system can't differentiate attack triggers from the daily grind in an unhappy job - it is all translated chemically in the body and ends in low testosterone production.

What are the health risks associated with low testosterone?

Low T is associated with serious diseases like osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, depression, diabetes and heart disease. Therefore it is unhealthy to leave low T untreated.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in men in the United States. Men with subnormal T levels have higher cholesterol and an increased risk of diabetes, both of which are significant risk factors for heart disease.


Need a good reason to start pumpin’ iron and eating healthier foods?
Obesity also increases the risk for diabetes and heart disease, and men with low T have more body fat. In fact, the obesity-low T link manifests as a vicious cycle. Body fat causes an increase in the conversion of testosterone into estrogen - yes, men have estrogen. In fact, a 50-year-old man has, on average, more estrogen than a post-menopausal 50-year-old woman. The more T that gets converted, the lower is the ratio of testosterone to estrogen and the more muscle mass is lost and fat is gained. This gets to be self-perpetuating.


What to do if you have Low Testosterone?
Men over 40 should have their levels of testosterone checked regularly, especially if they are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above. That level may be as important to overall health as cholesterol number or blood pressure. There are many proven ways to treat low T, under a doctor's supervision. 


Making lifestyle changes can help naturally elevated testosterone levels.  Building lean muscle can help elevate testosterone and strength training is a great place to start.  Stress plays a major role in your testosterone levels and studies have shown that regular exercise can help reduce stress and depression. 


Eating unhealthy, processed foods, fast foods, sugary snacks and beverages can cause testosterone levels to drop.  Rick Collins and James Villepigue, authors of the Alpha Male Challenge suggest eating a Paleolithic Diet which basically means you would be eating as if it were 1,000 years ago, before agriculture.

Testosterone and The Alpha Male

We established that testosterone does affect men psychologically.  It’s what separates an Alpha Male, from a Beta Male.  So, what is a True Alpha Male?  According to Rick Collins and James Villepigue, a True Alpha Male is a man who has respect, who is a leader among leaders, who doesn’t need to abuse or take advantage of other to get ahead.  A man who is healthy, strong , and confident. 

Now is the time to take a good look at your self physically and mentally.  If you are over weight, sedentary and don’t have the healthiest habits, you may be at risk of having low testosterone.  Do you think of yourself as a leader among leaders, a man who has respect, who is looked up to by others, who is healthy, strong and confident?

By making simple changes to your lifestyle, you can put yourself on the road to improved health that can bring your testosterone levels back up and not only will you look better, you will feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.

  

Sources and related articles:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/myles-spar-md/testosterone-friend-or-fo_b_479224.html

http://sharifitness.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-alpha-male-extinct_22.html

http://sharifitness.blogspot.com/2009/03/your-sexual-health-and-fitness.html

http://fittalknews.blogspot.com/2010/03/get-in-best-shape-of-your-life-with.html

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