FitTalk News

Bigger Better Improved FitTalkNews

2010-04-30T09:05:00.000-04:00

Please visit my Bigger, Better, IMPROVED FitTalkNews site.

Click here http://www.FitTalkNews.com

Your Digestive Health – What is your body doing with the foods you eat?

2010-04-11T19:05:00.002-04:00

I just returned from a week long visit with family. I got to spend some time with my brother who is only 1 year older than me. My brother works hard running his business and has a wife and two children and doesn’t really take time for himself. Although my brother is not overweight or obese, he complained that he’s starting to develop a “gut”. He also told me that he pops TUMS like they’re candy from having heartburn and indigestition, and his energy levels are low.

The first thing I told my brother is that he needs to stop using over the counter Anti-acids as they will do more harm than good for his digestive system and immediately asked him what his diet was like. Turns out my brother’s diet consists of simple carbohydrates from mostly white flour products and was lacking in many of the nutrients his body needs. His main diet staples are, takeout/fast food, pizza, bagels, pasta, break and cereal. Apples, berries, oats, brown rice, greens, healthy fats from nuts and fish, good sources of lean proteins were absent from his diet. It was no wonder my brother was having digestive issues and lacking energy.

I realized that my brother was like most people who didn’t know what a simple carbohydrate was from a complex carbohydrate and didn’t really put much thought into what he was feeding his body with. It’s not what you eat, it’s what your body does with the foods you eat.

All this white flour my brother was consuming was causing the yeast in these products to produce gas and bloating, indigestion.. Hence, acid reflux.

I then asked my brother if he was taking a multi-vitamin, to which his answer was no. With that, I told my brother to put down the anti-acids and introduced him to digestive enzymes, probiotics and whole food vitamins.

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are naturally produced within your body. But sadly, there are far too many people whose enzyme stores become depleted for one reason or another. Then you can't digest your food optimally. The cycle of occasional bloating, indigestion, and other minor digestive issues begins.

To help introduce my brother to the world of natural health, I referred him to someone I reference a lot in my articles and research, Dr. Joseph Mercola. I sat with him at his computer and showed him Dr. Mercola’s article on Digestive Enzymes to give him a better understanding of how his diet was affecting his digestive system. In the article, Dr. Mercola gives a quick quiz of symptoms and my brother answered yes to all.

Check out the article about Dr. Mercola’s article about digestive enzymes and yes, I use them and have found them to be very beneficial for my high protein diet. Benefits of Digesive Enzymes

Whole Food Vitamin Supplements

I also recommended for my brother what I use and what I recommend for all my clients, a good quality Whole Food Multivitamin which will help him get the nutrients his body has been missing and help provide him with the energy he’s been lacking.

A Whole Food vitamin is very different from the synthetic vitamins you see in the stores. Whole-food vitamin supplements are what their name suggests: Supplements made from concentrated whole foods. Whole-food supplements supply our bodies with nutrients we are not getting from our diets—all the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients that foods possess in a way that nature intended—in a whole-food form.

These whole-food vitamins contain the synergists—cofactors—that exist within the whole-food complex. Without which, the body continues to be starved of micronutrients needed for healing, repair and prevention of illness. Vitamin supplements (which are only PARTS of foods) contain only vitamins, leaving out these natural, life-supporting nutrients.

Basically, your body more easily absorbs whole-food vitamins and supplements over synthetic. Whole-food supplements offer a concentrated source of nutrition, which includes vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, phytonutrients and enzymes to aid digestion and the list goes on and on. Whole-food supplements, in my opinion, are clearly the superior choice for supplemental nutrition.

Again, I referred my brother to Dr. Mercola’s site about Whole Food Vitamin Supplements for more information. Here is the article about Whole Food Vitamin Supplements I referred my brother to. What are Whole Food Multivitamins and Minerals

After educating my brother about his diet, how it’s been affecting his health, helping him order the products I take and recommend from Dr. Mercola, he asked if I can do a supermarket tour with him so he would know exactly what foods he needed to buy in order to get on the right track. Aahhh… nothing like some quality, Brother-Sister bonding all in the name of good health.

By the way, I checked in with my brother and he said he's starting to feel better :)

Click here to check out Dr. Mercola's Products.

(note: the above links are sponsored links however, I do use these products, trust them and recommend them)

(disclaimer: Please note that I am not a doctor and not prescribing anything. This is for informational purposes only. You should always speak to a doctor to rule out any serious medical issues)

Eating Clean with Tosca Reno on the next FitTalkShow

2010-04-11T16:21:00.009-04:00

Tosca Reno

Author, Eat Clean Diet Book Series

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

8:00 PM EDT

Listen Live On Line -
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sharifitness

Listen via teleseminar 347-215-6385

At age 40, author Tosca Reno found herself miserable, overweight, stuck in an unhappy marriage, and living an unfulfilled life. Her self-esteem was at an all-time low. She barely recognized the woman she had become.

Tosca re-invented herself becoming super-fit and healthy, entering Bodybuilding contests and started writing articles for Oxygen, a top fitness magazine. Tosca quickly earned her own monthly feature in the magazine called “Raise the Bar.” The column targets women over 40 looking for motivation, nutrition and training advice.

Tosca wrote the The Eat-Clean Diet which has turned into a series and is a huge hit throughout North America, with over one million copies sold. Tosca has struck a chord with the diet-weary. In fact the most common response she gets is: “This just makes so much sense! I will never give up eating this way! It’s so easy!”

Tosca celebrated her 50^th birthday May, 2009 and is living proof that eating clean and living a fit and healthy lifestyle truly is the fountain of youth.

Mark your calendar right now and be sure to tune into FitTalk Wednesday, April 21th, 8:00 PM EDT at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sharfitness or call 347-215-6385 and listen LIVE on your phone.

Weight Loss and Good Health Doesn't Come in a Pill

2010-04-05T12:35:00.002-04:00

When it comes to weight loss and good health, everyone is looking for the quick fixthe magic pill. If such a thing existed, someone would be incredibly wealthy and obesity would no longer be an issue.

Want more proof that weight loss and good health doesn’t come in a magic pill? With most drugs, they treat the symptoms, not the cause. According to scientists, anti-obesity drugs are unlikely to provide long lasting benefit. Scientists at the University of Liverpool argue that anti-obesity drugs fail to provide lasting benefits for health and wellbeing because they tackle the biological consequences of obesity, and not the important psychological causes of overconsumption and weight gain.

Anti-obesity drug developers focus primarily on weight loss as their end goal, and do not take into consideration the motivational and behavioural factors that most commonly cause obesity. Obesity typically results from eating too much food combined with too sedentary a lifestyle. However, obese people may also have a complicated psychological relationship with food that makes it difficult for them to control their appetite sufficiently to manage their weight.

An anti-obesity drug cannot replace the health benefits of exercise. An anti-obesity drug cannot teach you how to make better food choices. An anti-obesity drug isn’t going to help ease the underlying causes of emotional eating.

Anti-obesity drugs can work in different ways; for example, by suppressing appetite, altering metabolism or inhibiting the absorption of calories. There have, however, been serious concerns over the safety of the most commonly prescribed drugs, leading to the recent withdrawal of the European market leaders Sibutramine (Reductil, Meridia) and Rimonabant (Accomplia).

When patients are prescribed anti-obesity drugs, are the doctors referring them to a nutritionist to become more educated about food and caloric intake? Probably not. Are these patients being referred to fitness professionals to get a structured exercise program to help them burn calories and improve their health? I think not. Natural Health solutions are probably not discussed with an overweight patient prior to prescribing them an anti-obesity drug.

In most cases, obesity and weight gain is due to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Then there are the psychological aspects towards eating such as emotional eating which can be addressed through therapy or hypnosis. There is also what Dr. Brian Wansink, Ph.D refers to as “Mindless Eating” and talks about this a great length in his book, Mindless Eating. And lastly, yes, there are some people who suffer from metabolic disorder.

The key to weight loss and good health is so basic and simple for most people via good nutritional habits and exercise. Calories in vs. calories out. End of story. We all know we need to do this in order to lose weight and become healthier yet, people tend to make this much more complicated than it needs to be. Yes, weight loss will take time, and no, it’s not going to happen overnight. Too many people find it difficult to be consistent and committed towards changing lifelong bad habits into lifelong good habits and give up too quickly and easily. The rest of it lies within the subconscious mind and that’s where therapy or hypnosis can help. I have discussed this aspect in my article Struggling With Weight? You May be Getting In Your Way. Being more mindful of what you are eating and how much you are eating can help get you more in control of consuming excess calories.

I’m not saying that anti-obesity drugs don’t have their place. They do, provided the causes of obesity are addressed and not just treating the effect.

Reference: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100316112448.htm

Let The Revolution Begin!

2010-03-28T18:40:00.003-04:00

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

2010-03-28T00:33:00.004-04:00

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????

2010-03-14T23:39:00.004-04:00

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

2010-03-14T23:39:00.003-04:00

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

2010-03-14T22:21:00.002-04:00

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

2010-03-07T20:30:00.003-05:00

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

2010-03-07T20:05:00.003-05:00

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

Recommended Reading:

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (VIDEO): First Graders Can't Identify Fruits, Veggies

2010-03-07T19:55:00.000-05:00

Jamie Oliver walks into a first grade classroom, up to a table display that is draped with a sheet. As he pulls the sheet up to reveal piles of fruits and vegetables underneath, you can hear gasps of horror ripple through the classroom.

This image sets the scene for his newest series, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution , in which the celebrity chef (of The Naked Chef fame) aims to subvert America's ingrained eating habits. He starts out in Huntington, West Virginia, which has been called the unhealthiest city in America, hoping for a food revolution there that will create a chain reaction across the nation.

Oliver tests the waters with the first graders by seeing how well they know their fruits and vegetables. "Who knows what this is?" Oliver asks, holding up a bunch of tomatoes.

WATCH to see how they fare:

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution premieres on Friday, March 26, on ABC.

This clip certainly demonstrates just how nutritionally uneducated we are. It's sad that many parents do not have access to feed their children healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables and many children have never seen a fresh fruit or vegetable. Michelle Obama made reference to Food Deserts in her Let's Move Campaign.

More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are more than a mile from a supermarket. These communities, where access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited, are known as food deserts.

Ask yourself, can your child identify a group of tomatoes if he/she saw one? Although I don't have children, I know I will be watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution series with great interest.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/26/jamie-olivers-food-revolu_n_478824.html

Get in the Best Shape of Your Life with James Villepigue

2010-03-04T00:31:00.009-05:00

Listen to my FitTalk Show Interview with James Villepigue

James Villepigue

www.jamesvillepigue.com

www.bodybyjames.com

www.alphamalechallenge.com

A few weeks ago, I was on the phone with James Villepigue and he said to me “the best workout is the one you’re not currently on”. Think about those words and the truth behind those words.

This is something James would know about. James has been involved in the health and fitness industries for over 20 years. With one million copies of James’ books sold, he has helped many hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world—of all ages and from all walks of life—achieve extraordinary results to their body’s & their lives.

If you’re looking to sculpt your perfect body regardless if you’re new to fitness, a pro, male or female, James Villepigue’s Body Sculpting Bible series of books, The Body Sculpting Bible for Women and The Body Sculpting Bible for Men will help take you to your next fitness level. The Body Sculpting bible books provide not only a great workout program, but also a diet that will help you shed those stubborn unwanted pounds or give you the body of a physique athlete. His Body Sculpting Bible franchise has been revered as one of the most successful fitness book lines in history.

James also co-authored the best selling book, Alpha Male Challenge, which was recently featured on FitTalk with his co-author, Mr. Rick Collins. The Alpha Male Challenge is aimed at restoring men to true Alpha Male status – a state of optimum physical, professional, mental and social performance. This challenge is more than just a diet and workout program for men. It’s a mindset.

I recently had James Villepigue as a guest on my FitTalk Show to talk about his books and how to they can help you get in the best shape of your life.

Weight struggles and an eating disorder

James was overweight as a child and spoke very candidly about it and how it affected him. He was bullied and made fun of. He developed an eating disorder and become bulimic for several years simply because he didn’t know any better. You don’t generally think of boys/men having an eating disorder, let alone, bulimia. James was losing a lot of weight in a short period of time. He went from 270 lbs down to 135 lbs in a year. He was sickly. People thought he was doing drugs because he was so skinny. James had had it with being heavy. He hated being disrespected and being mistreated by not only his peers, but adults and teachers who were treating him differently from other kids who were athletes, in good shape or average. In the eyes of other people, James was below average.

Through his experience as an overweight child, James identifies with the current child obesity crisis. “It’s so sad. Kids are going through this all the time. We have an epidemic in the country not just with adults, but with children being obese.”

Fortunately, James turned himself around and began losing weight in a safe manner. This is what spawned his passion. He wanted to help people. He began to read, got certified as a trainer and went to school.

The Body Sculpting Bible

James went on to create The Body Sculpting Bible series of books. The Body Sculpting Bible books are based on periodization training. This is a training style that elite athletes were doing and not something the mainstream knew about. Although the Body Sculpting Bible is a 14 day program, please don’t think that it’s a quick fix and that you’ll be in shape in 14 days.

Periodization training is scaled up or down in the way of time. James changes the routine every 14 days to prevent the body from adaptations and keeping the results flowing.

Weight loss and the subconscious mind

You want to be aware of resistance against weight loss self sabotage. Be aware of your thoughts on a consistent basis. It’s easy for the negative thoughts to sneak in and dictate where your day goes. When you have negative thoughts, you’re directing your subconscious mind to continue on that path. If you change those thoughts to positive ones, you’re directing the subconscious mind to continue in that direction. The subconscious mind controls your behavior. James recommends that you map out your wants, your goals and why. Be specific about weight loss. I want to lose body fat. I want to lose 10 lbs in 30 days. Don’t just say you want to lose weight.

5 Muscular Tiers of Training

James says there are 5 muscular tiers of training that work together. They are Resistance Training, Cardio Training, Nutrition & Supplementation, Rest & Recovery, and Mental Mindset. These 5 pieces are crucial in order to obtain the results you expect.

What you want to do is create a well-oiled machine which will create amazing results provided you don’t cut yourself short. If you ate perfectly, don’t blow off your training that day or vice versa. As for rest, you may get only 4 hours of sleep and think that you’ll be fine in the morning. By doing that, you’re not allowing your body to recover from the workout.

When you throw your body out of whack, you will halt your results. When you have the 5 Muscular Tiers in balance, then you have a well-oiled machine that is working efficiently and it’s a no-fail type of plan.

The Zone Tone

The mind directs our bodies. When you’re mindless when you’re training not focused on what you’re doing with every rep and set of your workout, you’re losing energy and not getting the results you should be getting.

Zone Tone teaches you to really make the mind-muscle connection. Over the years, James has been teaching people this through meditation, visualization, and mental imagery. By doing this, it has helped people become more aware of the various muscles in their bodies. Teaching people how to contract those muscles, so that when they go to the gym, they would be able to compound their efforts 5 times more had they not known how to contract the muscle. When they were in the gym doing a specific exercise for a specific muscle, they would know exactly what to feel.

Have a Plan of Action

Most people who walk into the gym have no idea what they’re going to be doing. They have no plan of action. As James describes it, it’s like getting in a car in New York and saying you’re going to drive to California and just winging it. You may get somewhere, but not to California, and if you do get to California, it may be a long, long, time from now. When you got to the gym and you wing your workouts, how can you expect to reach your destination to achieve your goal if you don’t really know what it is and how to get there?

James maps out your plan of action in his books, The Body Sculpting Bible and Alpha Male Challenge. Everything is mapped out for you so from the moment you walk into the gym you know exactly what you’re going to do when you hit the gym. Follow the workout, do it, be done, train with focus and intensity.

Changing up your workouts

If you have been following the same workout program for more than three months and have made no changes to it and continue doing the same exercise, with t he same weights, same reps, etc., your body won’t change. Making changes to your workout will not only give you better results, but will make a yawn, ho hum workout into one that is not only challenging, but fun.

All of the workouts in James Villepigue’s books not only give you a plan of action, but change so that you are challenged and you will get maximum results.

The Truth About Stretching

Some people say that stretching is unnecessary. Some people think you should stretch before you workout. Some people say you should stretch after your workout. I asked James to help set the record straight about stretching.

Stretching is essential. Before a workout, your muscles are like taking a rubber band out of the freezer. They’re not as flexible or pliable. Before your workout it’s important to get your muscles warmed up and more pliable, however, it’s not necessarily done through a static stretch. The problem with a static stretch is that if you’re trying to stretch a cold muscle, you can injure yourself. With a static stretch, you’re also sending a signal to the muscle telling it to relax. So if you do this before a workout, will your muscles perform at optimum levels? Probably not. James recommends doing a dynamic warm up before your workout bringing blood and nutrients into the muscle. Save the static stretching after the workout when the muscles are more pliable and resilliant.

Alpha Male Challenge

When Rick Collins and James Villepigue teamed up to create the Alpha Male Challenge, they wanted to create something that was tips from the tops in the industry. Not just a book that says “this works”. They brought the premiere experts in exercise science, psychology, nutrition, etc., to give their stamp of approval on this book saying “yes, this works and here’s why.”

The Alpha Male Challenge is not only innovative, but revolutionary. The plan provides 27 individual workouts in 10 weeks. They created a 60/20/20 training principle which they call Alpha Waves. One wave is allocated to building muscle, 60%, while 20% is directed to strength and 20% to power. As you move into the next Alpha Wave a few weeks later, 60% is allocated to building strength, 20% towards power and 20% to preserve the muscle you worked to build. You’re always building and preserving what you did.

The workouts have plyometric, strength building, muscular building, and muscular endurance exercises. The workouts don’t make you just all show. They make you show and go, go, go, so you don’t just look the part, you cant the part.

Is the Alpha Male Extinct?

Testosterone levels of American men have been on the decline over the past 10 years. Our fathers and grandfathers were physiologically more manly than today’s man. Studies on this had brought about a “call to action” by the authors of this book, James Villepigue and Rick Collins.

Let’s face it, men want to be manly. The Alpha Male is NOT the stereotype that the media created. He is not a bully or a club wielding man who abuses women or takes advantage of others to get ahead. James and Rick define what a “True Alpha” is. So what is a “True Alpha Male?” It’s 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.

The book has attitudinal training such as how to build confidence, chivalry, resilience and empathy. Men forget how to be men, particularly with the whole metro-sexual trend that was going on.

Men need to increase and maintain their testosterone. Testosterone is the hormone that makes men, “men”, and it affects men physically as well as psychologically and a lot of people don’t recognize that. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to be an aggressive or overly dominant male. If men want to be in better shape, or a better mood, they need to maintain or increase their Testosterone levels which is done naturally.

Nutrition for the Alpha Man and Woman

Like your workouts, if you really want to be on top of your nutrition, you need to have a plan of action. You really should be preparing your foods for the week ahead. By doing this, you’ll stay out of trouble eating the wrong things. Yes, this does take work and not only will this keep you out of trouble, it will help you eat more frequently throughout the day to make your metabolism more efficient.

You want to eat every 2 ½ - 3 hours to avoid running on empty and slowing doing your metabolism. A lot of people are stressed, short on time, and end up eating one big meal at night, and by doing that, you are basically sending a signal to your brain that you’re in starvation mode. Your body, in an attempt to protect itself from starving, is going to slow down your metabolism. The last thing you want to do is have 1 big meal which causes an insulin rush or spike of blood sugar in your body and ultimately, your body is going to lay down more body fat. The idea is to feed your body quality nutrients throughout the day so that your body is running more efficiently and you’re not sending the wrong signals to your brain.

James provided a simple tip when it comes to eating. In the morning, eat like a king; in the afternoon, eat like a prince; in the evening, eat like a papuer.

You can also eat according to your activity level. If you know you’re going to be active, eat more carbohydrates 3 hours later. If you know you’re going to be sedentary, eat more protein 3 hours later.

Alpha Male Diet

The Alpha Male Diet is more stylized towards a Paleolithic diet which means you’re eating as if it were 10,000 years ago  before agriculture set in. This is the way our bodies were designed to eat. Lean meats, fish, berries, nuts, etc. With the introduction of agriculture, over the years, we’ve been bringing all these cereal grains, high fructose corn syrup and sugar into our bodies and that’s when obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease started coming about.

The Alpha Male Challenge talks about the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 ratio – carbs to protein to fat. Making sure you’re getting the right quality of these foods and eating them in the right timing which is important for losing body fat, building lean muscle and getting in the best shape of your life.

Putting it all together – The 5 Muscular Tiers

If you walk into the gym with your plan of action  your workout, and you really put your mind into it and really work your muscles with each exercise, giving it everything you got, and properly fueling your body with the right nutrients, non only pre and post workout, but throughout the day, allow proper rest and recovery, you can’t help but build lean muscle and burn body fat, look better, feel better and be healthier.

For more Alpha Male Challenge check out my Is The Alpha Male Extinct? interview with co-author Rick Collins

I've done the Body Sculpting Bible Program and The Alpha Male Challenge Program and got great results with both programs. Ladies, although the Alpha Male program is written for men, don't let that stop you.

What Defines a Nutritionist?

2010-03-03T13:56:00.004-05:00

Written by guest blogger Amanda Clary

Although the standards for licensed nutritionists vary from state to state, most states have specific certification requirements and licenses for nutritionists. Nevertheless, this doesn't stop some unscrupulous “nutritionists” from calling themselves a nutritionist, despite the fact that they have no formal education or training. Usually, these individuals adhere to a certain theory of diet that they advocate to their clients.

Some people selling supplements or offering questionable dietary advice call themselves a nutritionist but do not hold any type of certification.

Alternatively, they may hold a “certificate” from a “professional organization” that is generally not considered reputable in the world of dietetics and nutrition (the AACN is one example of such an organization).

In some states, there are legal consequences to calling oneself a nutritionist without proper certification. But how do you know if you are practicing within the scope of the law or outside of it?

All states have a different view of what a certified nutritionist is and what the scope of their practice should be. Despite the specific differences, the general idea is mostly the same.
Therefore, we'll use the state of North Carolina to examine what constitutes the practice of a certified nutritionist, and what falls outside that definition.

In North Carolina, a certified nutritionist:
* Evaluates and maintains standards in food and nutrition services
* Assesses the nutritional needs of groups and of individuals
* Helps groups and individuals meet dietary goals and objectives, while meeting nutritional needs
* Provides disease counseling from the point of view of diet/nutrition
* Develops and manages nutrition care systems
What falls outside of their scope of practice?
* Selling vitamins or other retail food/supplement items
* Offering nutritional advice not based on current information or scientific principles
* Presenting controversial information without acknowledging that there are legitimate differences of opinion
* Influencing a client towards certain services or products that may indicate a conflict of interest
In the state of North Carolina, practicing nutrition outside the boundaries of official nutritionist certification can lead to conviction of a misdemeanor crime.

At best, the nutritionist who has violated the state's rules will face a probationary period in which the state monitors their activities. At worst, a nutritionist may be permanently prevented from practicing in the nutrition/dietetics field in the state. Considering that forty-eight of fifty states have similar requirements, you should check your qualifications carefully to see if they meet state statutes before advertising your services as a nutritionist.

About the Author
Amanda Clary writes a non commercial blog focused on her experience on helping her family and friends to eat healthy. She is a "Nutritionist for Hobby" and writes on the nutrition training blog to help people learn how to get certified and learn all the aspects related to this job (Skills, requisites, everyday problems, upgrading, etc...).

Strong Kids Healthy Kids with Fredrick Hahn

2010-02-21T22:46:00.005-05:00

Listen to my Blog Talk Radio Interview with Fred Hahn on FitTalk

Fredrick Hahn
Strong Kids, Healthy Kids
Serious Strength.com
During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, increasing more than four-fold among children ages 6 to 11. Today, nearly a third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. That’s more than 23 million kids and teenagers.

If we don’t act to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic, we’re in danger of raising the first generation of children who may live sicker and die younger than the generation before them. Preventing obesity during childhood is critical, because habits that last into adulthood frequently are formed during youth. Research shows that an obese older teenager has up to an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult.

This is a topic I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while, and I had the pleasure of having Fredrick Hahn, author of the best selling book, Strong Kids, Healthy Kids on my FitTalk show.

Fred Hahn shatters the current ideas behind the child obesity epidemic and offers a simple and powerful solution to make your child strong, more athletic, healthy, lean and powerful. Fred has been a professional trainer for over two decades and is certified by the American Council on Exercise. He is the founder and head of the renowned personal training studio Serious Strength, Inc. and has been working with kids in his Mighty Tykes and Teens Program for the past seven years. He has been interviewed by Dr. Mehmet OZ and Bob Greene on Oprah and Friends, The Today Show, CNN, WABC-TV, and featured in Allure, Family Circle, Woman’s World and Time Out New York just to name a scant few. He blogs for the Huffington Post and is a featured contributor to the Nutrition and Metabolism Society.

Inactivity isn't the cluprit

The information being given about child obesity isn't scientifically sound. The common idea that adolescent obesity is caused by eating too much fat and being sedentary is false. Fred explained that it's not a lack of activity. Often, TV, video games and such are blamed for the problem, but we don't blame reading books, practicing musical instruments, and building toy models. We've latched on to a concept that is faulty because it sounds as if its true, when science and research tell us it's not.

"Overfat" children aren't overfat because they are inactive. Research shows that overfat children are just as active as their leaner counterparts.

Fred uses the term "overfat" rather than "obese" when talking about overweight children. This means that the child has too much body fat for his/her body size.

So what's really causing obesity?
One of the biggest contributors to child obesity is diet. The biggest problem is that children, as well as adults, are consuming more sugar than ever and aren’t aware of the amount of hidden sugars they are getting in their diet.

What really matters is not necessarily how many calories a child eats, (although to some degree it does matter), but the TYPES of calories your child is eating. According to Fred, children are eating too many carbohydrates which increases the total blood sugar in your body. If you have too much blood sugar in your body, then the body has to secrete a large amount of insulin in order to deal with that blood sugar.

Insulin and body fat

Fred explained that some people's bodies in response to what is a glucose challenge - meaning - having a lot of sugar roaming the body that has to be put into the cells - are insulin insensitive. Here's the problem. While insulin's main role is to regulate blood sugar, one of it's other main roles is to store body fat. When you put a lot of carbohydrates into a child's body, and that child happens to be less insulin sensitive another, that child's body will store more of the calories taken in as body fat rather than be use as energy.

More carbs convert to more insulin you secrete – over time more insulin insensitive you become because there’s so much insulin being secreted, little be little in some children, as well as adults, they become obese because the body doesn’t know what to do with all the insulin, which in turn, causes the body to store calories as body fat rather than use it as fuel. That’s why children who have a propensity to this, an hour later, say they’re hungry again.

Strength Training for Children

One thing I have always been an advocate of is strength training which Fred is. You’re never too young or too old to strength train, however, I think when it comes to children, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about it.

Strength training is one of the most potent and powerful modalities of exercise for a child. You can improve a child’s strength, bone density, muscle mass and athletic performance. Strength training also improves your child’s resistance to injury when engaging in sports.

In his book, Strong Kids, Healthy Kids, Fred dispels the myth that strength training stunts a child’s growth. This is absolutely false. Impact forces can impair growth plates by breaking or damaging a bone. You can’t play sports gently in a low force manner, however, you can lift weights in a low force manner while at the same time, build strength, bone density and muscle mass. Strength training for children is recommended by several prominent organizations provided it is supervised and performed in a slow and controlled fashion - 5 seconds to lift the weight and 5 seconds to lower the weight.

How much time should a child strength train?

If you are a non athlete (not participating in sports), a minimum of two 20 minute strength training sessions per week is recommended. For athletic kids, you’re better off having them strength train once a week for 20-30 minutes. The reason for this is that the benefits of strength training comes when you’re resting. Recovery is really when you’re gaining the benefits of lifting so that when your child is ready for the next session, he will be stronger and will be able to lift more weight. Progressive strength training over time is what makes a child stronger and stronger.

Is your child ready to strength train?

The appropriate age for a child to strength train is more psychological than it is physiological. For example, if a child is old enough to take instruction and pay attention to what you are explaining to them, than they’re good to go.

Fred used his daughters as an example. He has two daughters. One of them took to strength training at the age of 6, while the other daughter, at the age of 8 thinks the whole thing is silly. Psychologically, she’s not ready. She may be at the age of 10.

Making strength training a fun, positive experience

Fred suggests that you engage in the activity with your child. Let your child see you doing push ups or sit ups and let them see you enjoy it. With younger children, rather than count to five, you can say whatever their favorite characters are, so you can say, “Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man”.

Yes, your child will adapt to strength training. Kids love their bodies and they love the concept that they are stronger, better, can run faster, etc. You’re only doing this for 20/30 min twice a week so it’s not like it’s lasting long and you’re boring them.

The book will help you become your child’s personal trainer that will instill a good, healthy, habit for life. Strong Kids, Healthy Kids, provides parents with all the information they need on how to set up an exercise program for their child from “Choosing the Right Weight”, “upping the ante”, a list of basic exercises, and photos of children performing the exercise.

Nutrition for you and your children

Fred recommends a a nutrient rich diet consisting of “real foods”. What are “real foods”? Anything that has ever walked, crawled, flew or swam, such as beef, chicken, fish, etc., or has grown in the ground naturally that you can pick and eat.

You can’t walk onto a wheat field, grab a few stalks of wheat and eat it. If you have to refine or process it, then it’s a food you should avoid or eat very little of if at all. On the other hand, you don’t need to do anything to an orange, apple, green bean, etc.

This type of eating is Paleolithic meaning that if you went back 1,000 years ago, foods were eaten in their natural state.

Today’s current food pyramid promotes carbohydrates as the main staple of food. This is wrong. The main staple of what we should be eating are real food choices such as meats, fish, poultry being your staple and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

High Fructose Corn Syrup – A Neurological Nightmare on Health Street

High Fructose Corn Syrup is something I have written about in my blogs. It’s in everything and it’s making us fat. Fred refers to it as a “Neurological Nightmare on Health Street.” In just about anything and everything we eat, from condiments, salad dressing, sodas, fruit juice, breakfast bars; you name it, if it comes in a wrapper, can or box, it contains high fructose corn syrup. It makes everything sweeter. Your child is so exposed to High Fructose Corn Syrup that when he/she eats a piece of fruit, it won’t be taste as sweet and makes everything else taste like cardboard. What is happening is that you lose your taste for what is sweet enough. Your body becomes addicted to sugar – the quick fuel source. It also wreaks habit on what we spoke of earlier, insulin sensitivity or the lack of.

You really need to get in the habit of reading the ingredient labels. If a product contains high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup or fructose, put it back on the shelf.

Your children will want to know what happened to their favorite snacks and beverages when you start to replace them with healthier choices. Fred says, rather than telling your children they can’t have it anymore, you want to educate your children. Explain to them that you found out that it makes “your blood sad” and that this will make it better. Kids are like sponges when it comes to learning things, particularly when it comes to their bodies.

By the way, when you eat real foods, they don’t contain high fructose corn syrup.

Water, Water, Water

Strong Kids Healthy Kids goes into extensive detail about the importance of water. For most children, their intake of liquids comes from sugary drinks like juices and sodas and barely any water. The body needs a certain amount of hydration in order to function optimally.

Your child’s blood is 90% water, brain is 85% water, muscle is 75% water, skin is 71% water, bone is 30% water and body fat is 15% water.

Fred and I recommend that you give your child water with some lemon, lime or orange in it for flavoring or you can get flavored sparkling water.

The book also contains kid-ready recipes that are quick, easy and simple to make helping to take out some of the guess work about what type of food to prepare for your family.

Fred’s take away message:

I asked Fred what is the one message you really want to get through to people. Here is his answer. “Take the time to do your best to feed your child real food. That is above and beyond exercise, although exercise is an important component, it isn’t any where nearly as important as feeding your children real food. If you can do a kitchen/pantry makeover, get rid of the breakfast cereals, the grains and sugar. Breakfast, lunch and dinner should be meats (beef, fish, chicken, etc.). Proteins and healthy fats. Give your child a healthy breakfast rather than feed them a box of cereal.

100,000 years ago we were eating real foods and that’s what we need to be putting on our children’s plates today. Health problems are from feeding kids un-real foods.

We are what our bodies do with what we eat.

If you wish to contact Fred, he can be reached via e-mail at fhan@seriousstrength.com

Disclaimer: Please note, Fredrick Hahn is not a doctor. This information is intended for children who are considered healthy by their physicians. It is not intended to treat children who suffer from metabolic abnormalities or diseases that are known to cause or contribute to weakness or obesity. Although the information in this interview will help any child, always consult with the appropriate physician for advice and guidance. Always consult an appropriate and qualified physician prior to beginning any exercise or diet program for your child.

Child Obesity Takes Center Stage

2010-02-14T20:47:00.003-05:00

With Child Obesity in the national spotlight, this is an ideal opportunity to talk about some of the issues concerning it.

It’s not baby fat, it’s obesity

According to an article published in the February, 2010 journal Clinical Pediatrics, research suggests that the "tipping point" in obesity often occurs before two years of age, and sometimes as early as three months, when the child is learning how much and what to eat. The Clinical Pediatrics study suggests obesity prevention efforts should begin before age two, when children reach a "tipping point" in a progression that leads to obesity later in life. This study indicates that we may need to discuss inappropriate weight gain early in infancy to affect meaningful changes in the current trend of obesity.

What could possibly be causing obesity in infants? Could it be that they are being fed more calories than they need? Food is given to crying babies to comfort and quiet them. For instance, if a baby is crying, a new mother’s instinct is to give her baby a bottle thinking it is hungry when perhaps it isn’t.

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar

Perhaps baby food has evolved over the years becoming more and more processed containing corn syrup and more sugar? No doubt more and more children are exposed to processed foods, snacks, fast foods and ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup over the past 10-20 years. Do parents even bother to look at the fine print of ingredients in a product they are feeding their children?

NOW is the time to act

I’m not going to regurgitate all the child obesity statistics. This is an issue about health. We know that today’s children are overweight, and that they are dealing with diseases that were once known as “adult diseases”.

It is up to as a parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to take action now. Children eat what we feed them and it’s up to us to stop feeding them fast food, sugary snacks and junk food. Get active with children. Take them to the park to the playground, or go skating with them, play tennis, etc. The list of activities you can you can DO with children are endless.

The Let’s Move Campaign

This past week, First Lady, Michelle Obama, launched her Let’s Move Campaign to help solve the child obesity epidemic. This is certainly a step in the right direction to stop talking about the issue, but to take action and do something to help solve the problem. As a Fitness Professional/Natural Health Advocate, I applaud Michelle Obama for helping to bring SOLUTIONS to Child Obesity.

The Let's Move campaign has 4 Pillars.

1st Pillar-Helping parents make healthy family choices. Parents need the tools to make it easier to understand how to help their kids stay healthy. Many parents know certain foods are bad for their kids, but don't know the solutions.

Children learn from the choices they see adults make. If children see parents enjoying nutritious foods and physical activity, they’re more likely to do the same. With greater understanding and opportunities for good nutrition and physical activity, parents can take simple steps so busy families can live healthier lives.

Empowering Consumers - By the end of the year, the Food and Drug Administration will begin working with retailers and manufacturers to adopt new nutritionally sound and consumer friendly front-of-package labeling to provide 65 million parents in America and other caregivers with easy access to the information they need to make healthy choices for their children.

2^nd Pillar – Healthier Schools - Many children consume at least half of their daily calories at school. As families work to ensure our kids eat right and have active play at home, we also need to ensure our kids have access to healthy meals in their schools. With more than 31 million children participating in the National School Lunch Program and more than 11 million participating in the National School Breakfast Program, good nutrition at school is more important than ever. Let’s move to get healthier food in our nation’s schools.

· Healthier US Schools Challenge Program establishes rigorous standards for schools’ food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity, and nutrition education – the key components that make for healthy and active kids – and provides recognition for schools that meet these standards.

3^rd Pillar – Physical Activity - Children need 60 minutes of active and vigorous play every day to grow up to a healthy weight.(source) If this sounds like a lot, consider that 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 ½ hours to using entertainment media including TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies in a typical day, and only a third of high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity.

4^th Pillar - Accessing Healthy & Affordable Food - More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are more than a mile from a supermarket. These communities, where access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited, are known as food deserts. Lack of access to proper nutrition is one reason why many children are not eating the recommended levels of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Another issue is that healthier food choices are more expensive than unhealthy, cheap, processed junk foods. As part of the President’s proposed FY 2011 budget, the Administration announced a new program – the Healthy Food Financing Initiative -- a partnership between the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Agriculture and Health and Human Services which will invest $400 million a year to provide innovative financing to bring grocery stores to underserved areas and help places such as convenience stores and bodegas carry healthier food options. Grants will also help bring farmers markets and fresh foods into underserved communities, boosting both family health and local economies. Through these initiatives and private sector engagement, the Administration will work to eliminate food deserts across the country within seven years.

If you are a parent, doctor, fitness professional, health advocate, check out the Let's Move website http://www.letsmove.gov/index.html and let’s do our part to ACT NOW and help make a difference to improve the health of our children. This affects not only our children’s future, but our future and the future of our country.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100211121832.htm

http://www.letsmove.gov

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/09/obama.child.obesity/index.html

Pre-hypertension : A clear warning sign not to be ignored

2010-02-07T21:01:00.000-05:00

What is pre-hypertension? Frank Mangano, author of The Blood Pressure Miracle, defines pre-hypertension as a blood pressure reading of between 120 and 139 for the systolic measurement and between 80 and 89 for the diastolic reading.

Unfortunately, many people don’t take the warning signs of pre-hypertension seriously. They shrug it off. They’ll say that stress caused their blood pressure to go up. It’s temporary and will go back to normal. Prehypertension isn't a condition to ignore or passively monitor -- it's the first volley from a true enemy of health. The time to worry about blood pressure is when that number tips anywhere between 120 to 139.

Roughly one-third of Americans, 30 percent, already have pre-hypertension, including teens and younger children.

For those who think that blood pressure can’t hurt you until it drives over the 140/90 line and becomes full-fledged high blood pressure, think again. Studies have shown that, when the data is crunched, people with pre-hypertension alone are more at risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive problems, diabetes and kidney disease. Lowering your slightly elevated blood pressure lowers your potential for a universe of problems.

If you have pre-hypertension, this is clearly a forewarning that should not be shrugged off. This is the time to take a good look at your lifestyle and choices you are making and take action to make lifestyle changes now before it’s too late and be led down a path of lifelong use of costly prescription medication.

If you aren’t already eating as healthy as you should be or getting enough exercise, you should make improvements to your diet and incorporate an exercise regiment. Both diet and exercise play a major role in maintaining good blood pressure.

Salt - Salt is in just about everything. It's impossible to avoid. Restaurant food tends to be high in sodium. The New England Journal of Medicine ran an article stressing that salt consumption should be cut for reasons of heart protection and lower blood pressure.

Smoking - If you are a smoker, you should do everything you can to stop smoking. It’s just not good for your health, particularly if you have pre-hypertension or high blood pressure.

Stress – We all experience stress in our lives from time to time. However, ongoing stress can cause health issues, including high blood pressure. It’s important to find ways to control stress. Some helpful ways to reduce stress are exercise, meditation, and hypnosis.

Take action now by making simple lifestyle changes to naturally alleviate pre-hypertension and be sure to keep monitoring your blood pressure.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/madan-kwatra/prehypertension-its-not-m_b_433148.html

The Blood Pressure Miracle - Frank Mangano

Could Health Care Reform begin with the USDA?

2010-02-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

We’ve all heard the news. Health care costs are out of control. We are spending millions and millions of dollars on disease management. It’s not just adults who are battling diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, it’s children as well. The old saying, we are what we eat couldn’t be more true and it’s smacking us across the face more than ever.

We are exposed to more and more toxins and poisons in the foods we eat than ever before with the pesticides and fungicides that are sprayed on the fruits and vegetables we eat. Many of the fruits and vegetables we eat have been genetically modified (aka GMO’s) to give them a longer shelf life so they don’t spoil as quickly. What this means is that scientists have created have created fruits and vegetables which is said to stay fresh for 45 days - three times longer than the conventional version. This is not natural. Not the way nature intended it to be. Much of the livestock we eat (beef, chicken, pork) are fed a diet of hormones and anti-biotics. This is not their natural diet. Just about every packaged food you eat (breads, condiments, beverages, salad dressings, etc.) contain high fructose corn syrup. It’s no wonder sickness and disease is more the rule rather than the exception.

Six months ago, I bit the bullet and went organic. No doubt, organic foods cost more than “conventional” foods and it really shouldn’t be that way. My health is important to me and I’d rather spend a little more on buying organic foods and livestock that are grass fed, than lose money in lost productivity due to illness, or spend my money unnecessarily on expensive prescription drugs or a visit to my doctor.

Robyn O’Brien, author of The The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick - And What We Can Do About It, had some interesting things to say about the cost of organic foods in a recent article, which really is The Unhealthy Truth.

“Organic food costs more than its conventional counterparts because our taxpayer dollars are not used to support organic farms to the same extent that our dollars are used to support conventional farms. Under our current system, it is more profitable for farmers to grow crops laced with chemicals than organic ones because they will receive larger government handouts from the USDA Farm Subsidy program, more marketing assistance and stronger crop insurance programs.

If farmers do choose to grow organic crops, it costs them more because not only do they not receive the same level of financial handouts from the government, but they are also charged a fee to prove that their crops are safe and then on top of that, they are then charged a fee to label their crops as "organic." As a result, organic farmers have a higher cost structure -- with added fees and expenditures required to bring their products to market -- while our taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize the crops with the chemicals.

Wouldn't it make more sense to use our taxpayer dollars to subsidize the crops without chemicals given the increasing evidence pointing to the impact that these environmental insults are having on our health? What if our most powerful weapon in the war on health care is a farm subsidy?

Health care reform could begin at the USDA, with an equal allocation of our taxpayer dollars between organic and conventional farming. The USDA could continue health care reform by providing equivalent marketing assistance and crop insurance programs for organic crops and by eliminating the organic certification fee farmers are required to pay in order to label their crops as "USDA Organic".

If we invite the US Department of Agriculture to be part of health care reform, the USDA could level the economic playing field for the farmers, enabling more farms to grow crops free of chemicals, synthetic and genetically engineered ingredients which would, in turn, increase the supply of these crops in the marketplace -- which, as any good economist knows, would drive down costs. Organic food would be more affordable to more of us.”

We all make our voices heard with the way we spend our dollars. With every dollar I spend on locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, or grass fed live stock that was raised locally, not only am I supporting my local farmers, I am casting a vote. I am also taking control of my health by no longer exposing my body to toxins and poisons that are harmful to my health. I will not support industrialized farming that doesn’t care about how they are harming our health and costing us billions of dollars in health care costs. The choice is yours. Either way your dollars will be spent? Do you spend them nourishing your body with healthier foods free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc., or do you spend your dollars on prescription medications and doctor visits? Personally, I think it’s a no brainer.

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1247900/The-end-squashy-tomato-Genetic-breakthrough-let-fruit-month-longer.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-s-epstein/a-ban-on-hormonal-meat-is_b_446060.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robyn-o/health-care-begins-with-a_b_443650.html

For more on this subject, check out

Health Reform - What's NOT being said

2010-01-27T20:43:00.004-05:00

Notice, I said Health Reform, not Health Care Reform. Granted, health CARE reform is a topic being hotly debated, well actually, it’s more about health insurance reform. What’s not being discussed is that it is up to us as individuals to reform our own personal health, and in order to do that, one must make changes to lifestyle choices that affect our health as individuals. What’s not being talked about is prevention. What’s not being talked about is people taking responsibility for reforming their personal health.

I don’t think anyone is going to argue the fact that as a nation, we are unfit and unhealthy. We all have heard the reports that the obesity rate is skyrocketing and is costing us billions of dollars in health care costs. Most of the illnesses and diseases are directly related to obesity.

Childhood obesity is at an all time high. What’s going to happen to all the children who are obese today when they become adults tomorrow? What’s not being talked about is Health Education in schools ─ teaching children about what good health is, what lifestyle choices promote it, teaching them what good nutrition is and the importance of exercise.

For adults, the latest studies talk about how Obesity Can Increase Dementia Risk By Up To 80 Percent. This is quite serious considering that over half of the adult population is obese. Dementia could become an epidemic.

Let’s face it. You’d have to be pretty darn ignorant to not know all the various chronic conditions, diseases and illnesses that afflict the majority of the population is due to poor lifestyle choices. Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension (aka – High Blood Pressure), heart disease, etc. Simply put, the diseases we’re trying to manage are lifestyle related and therefore preventable.

Study after study proves how diet and exercise can help prevent or alleviate just about every disease there is, yet, doctors are not telling their patients that they need to exercise or ask them about their eating habits and refer them to a nutritionist to help teach them how they can make better food choices. They’re not having a conversation about prevention – choosing the right foods, keeping your body active and managing stress. Nope, they’re treating the effect with prescription medications, instead of addressing and treating the cause.

The cost of health care is hurting us economically as a nation, and as individuals. All too often I encounter people with health issues that could be remedied or lessen the severity of their illness naturally with an exercise program and better nutritional choices. However, as a society, we have been programmed by the pharmaceutical industry to just pop a pill to make it better when in fact, you’re not. The cure lies in prevention and let’s face it, prevention means change and most people are very resistant to change. It’s easier to pop a pill than to exercise. It’s easier to pop a pill, hit the nearest fast food drive through than go to the supermarket and cook a healthy, nutritious meal.

We as individuals and as a nation need to change the way we think when it comes to our health. As a fitness professional and natural health advocate, I feel that the root of prevention is teaching people how to make the right choices about food, how to keep your body physically active, how to deal with stress.

It all starts with us as individuals taking responsibility and reforming our own personal health. It’s never too late to start.

Master Cleanses and Detox Diets

2010-01-27T20:37:00.001-05:00

This is a subject that comes up from time to time with my clients and I’m asked my opinion on these. I personally feel they are unnecessary.

To truly cleanse your body and keep it clean, simply cut out processed foods. Most of the foods we eat have a laundry list of ingredients that are nothing but chemicals. Foods that are organic are natural and free of toxic pesticides and chemicals. If you eat animal proteins, make sure that the animals were not fed a diet of chemically treated grain, antibiotics and steroids. If you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day, you are constantly flushing your body.

Rather than make these dietary changes, people are always looking for a quick fix; the easy way out. We're so eager to believe that our bodies are cesspools of evil toxins and undigested junk and that a cleanse is like hitting the reboot button.

Starving yourself on a liquid diet or sticking a hose up your bum in an effort to cleanse the colon only eliminates water weight which you will quickly gain back. Master cleanses & liquid diets don't change unhealthy eating habits that pollute the body-Its like living a bing-purge lifestyle.

For a real Master Cleanse, feed your body by eating clean, nutrient-rich organic foods and stay away from processed man-made foods.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gina-pell/ladies-cut-the-detox_b_428387.html

Health Benefit of a Low Carb Diet

2010-01-27T20:31:00.000-05:00

A long time ago, I discovered how not only eating a diet a low in carbs, but sticking to complex carbs (whole grains, fibrous fruits and vegetables) helped me to lose weight and keep it off. It’s also much healthier for you than starchy, white flour carbs.

For those of you familiar with me, you know that I am a Natural Health Advocate. As a natural health advocate, I was thrilled to learn of a recent study by Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Duke University Medical Center in which they discovered the effectiveness of a Low Carb Diet lowering blood pressure. We’re not talking prescription meds. We’re talking about a natural, healthy way to not only lose weight, but lower blood pressure.

In a head-to-head comparison, two popular weight loss methods proved equally effective at helping participants lose significant amounts of weight. But, in a surprising twist, a low-carbohydrate diet proved better at lowering blood pressure than the weight-loss drug Orlistat.

These findings support EVERYTHING Natural Health Advocates have been saying all along. These findings send an important message to hypertensive people trying to lose weight. It's important to know you can try a diet instead of medication and get the same weight loss results with fewer costs and potentially fewer side effects.

Nearly half (47%) of patients in the low-carbohydrate group had their blood pressure medication decreased or discontinued while only 21 percent of the orlistat plus low-fat diet group experienced a reduction in medication use. Systolic blood pressure dropped considerably in the low-carbohydrate group when compared to the orlistat plus low-fat diet group.

At the end of the day, if you make lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise on a consistent basis, eating nutrient-rich foods that are not man made and keeping stress levels under control, not only will you improve your health significantly, you will feel better and look better with out the costs of doctor visits, prescription drugs and their side effects.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125172938.htm

Why Artificial Sweeteners Are Making You Fat

2010-01-17T17:58:00.000-05:00

Although low-calorie sweeteners are a dietary staple for manypeople trying to maintain or lose weight, according to a study published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) an emerging bodyof evidence suggests artificial sweeteners offer little help to dietersand may even help promote weight gain.

Yup, you read that correctly. Studies have suggested that low-calorie sweetenersmay actually increase appetite for sweet foods, promote overeating,and lead to weight gain.

Sweeter Than Sucrose (table sugar)

Artificial sweeteners are a hundred times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). By getting ourselves used to so much sweet, normal sweet flavors, of fruit for example, become bland and so do other healthful foods such as grains and vegetables, thus reducing our willingness to consume them and ultimately compromising the quality of our diet. If you struggle with sugar cravings, any healthy eating plan will be difficult because you will constantly be craving “sweet”.

Psychologists at Purdue University's Ingestive Behavior Research Center reported that relative to rats that ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (a simple sugar with 15 calories/teaspoon, the same as table sugar), rats given yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin later consumed more calories, gained more weight, put on more body fat, and didn't make up for it by cutting back later, all at levels of statistical significance.

Artificial Sweeteners Confuse the Body

The dissociation between sweet taste and calorie intake may put the regulatory system that controls hunger and body weight out of sync, thus sabotaging weight loss plans. Sweet foods provide a "salient orosensory stimulus" that strongly predicts someone is about to take in a lot of calories. Ingestive and digestive reflexes gear up for that intake but when false sweetness isn't followed by lots of calories, the system gets confused. Thus, people may eat more or expend less energy than they otherwise would.

Related Links:

Beware of Artificial Sweeteners http://fittalknews.blogspot.com/2010/01/beware-of-artifical-sweeteners.html

Sources:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/299/18/2137

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hemi-weingarten/artificial-sweetners-3-re_b_410041.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080210183902.htm

Resources:

http://www.aspartamesafety.com/

Economics of Your Health, Fitness and Wellness

2010-01-17T17:37:00.000-05:00

“Procrastination gives Way to Consequences” - Winston Churchill. These words apply to so many aspects of life, however, when you apply these words to your overall Health, Fitness and Wellness, they have a lot of meaning and truth to them.

It's very rare when you come across someone who doesn't want to look better, or just feel better. How many people do you know are always sick and run down? What about you? When you think about your overall Health, Fitness and Wellness, are there any changes you like to make? Chances are you answered yes to these questions, but then ask yourself, how many people do you know are actually being proactive about it? When I say proactive, how many people do you know are exercising, eating healthy, well balanced meals on a daily basis, drinking more water than soft drinks and taking a good quality multi-vitamin?

Obesity in this country is at an all time high and the numbers keep growing not only amongst adults, but amongst children as well. Diabetes and high blood pressure are common diseases. Health care costs are out of control.

How many people do you know, or perhaps yourself suffer from headaches, lack of energy, dizziness, are depressed or are mildly depressed? Some of these symptoms stem from nutritional issues and from leading a sedentary lifestyle. The human body was meant to be in motion, not sitting on the sofa glued to the TV with a bag of chips or ingesting all kinds of chemicals that make up the processed foods you eat. You go to the doctor because you want to feel better. The doctor says you are just getting older and it's a sign of aging so he prescribes you a pill? Does the doctor ask about your eating habits or your exercise habits? Probably not.

Complaints of physical ailments are really diet/nutritional issues as well as being sedentary, and being overweight is the obvious symptom. Being overweight or obese is not just too many calories, it is a nutritional imbalance. Symptoms associated with being obese or overweight are treated with over the counter remedies or prescription drugs.

Look, I'm not a doctor, but as a Fitness Consultant, one of the things I do with all my clients is ask for a food journal and it is obvious from all the food journals I have looked at over the years that people are eating too many processed foods, not enough fruits and vegetables and lean sources of protein. The average American knows that they don't eat healthy, but don't know how to change their habits. People want answers to diet and health.

There are two industries out there. You have the Sickness Industry and you have the Wellness Industry. As a fitness professional, I am in the Wellness Industry. People who are sick, are customers of the Sickness Industry. People who are customers of the Wellness Industry are avoiding being customers of the Sickness Industry.

Economic Causes of the Sickness Industry:

Let's take a look at the Food Industry because after all, most Americans are eating unhealthy, processed foods that are loaded with chemicals that the human body was not created to process. The food industry consists of fast food restaurants, Processed Foods (foods that are canned, frozen or in a wrapper), and Farmed Foods. The Processed Foods industry is 95% of our foods stemming from companies like the Golden Arches, Kraft, P&G. These companies will spare no expense on Research and Development to increase consumption of these foods. The more overweight you are, the more calories/product you consume.

They mix chemicals in the foods so that the consumer is never sated. The chemicals in every processed food has been altered, so that your taste buds don't get bored with the food. Hence, you consume more product, you gain more weight. You gain more weight, your caloric intake goes up. How many people do you know who are overweight are happy being overweight?

Trillions of dollars of lost productivity is due to health. Diabetes is up and never mind the cost for the shot. It is the 2-3 days someone is out of work because they are sick. One third of American children are diagnosed as being pre-diabetic all due to diet.

The Medical Industry

The Medical Industry targets the doctors. They have pharmaceutical reps visit doctors and get them to sing up to write Rx's for the latest drug to treat the SYMPTOMS of the newest ailment.

The Medical Industry treats SYMPTOMS, NOT DISEASES. Modern medicine is based on technology which is controlled by private companies looking to make money. Most of the drugs out there you end up taking the rest of your life because they don't cure, but treat the symptoms.

The medical industry is now the sickness industry because you become a customer when you get sick. One Seventh of our dollars are spent on treating sickness. Sickness is one of the largest causes of bankruptcy in the

Medical expenditures are going to sky rocket but nothing is being done to help a person lose weight or educate them on how to make better nutritional choices. When you see a doctor, do they sit you down and really talk to you about nutrition or seeing a fitness professional? I don’t think so.

There is a need for a Wellness Revolution before the health and wellness of

America

becomes more out of control than it already is. Overweight and obesity is more than just a health crisis in this country, but it has become an economic crisis not only to the individual, but to Corporate America which will affect employment opportunities.

The Wellness Industry

The Wellness Industry provides products and services pro-actively to healthy people who want to feel healthier, slow down the effects of aging or prevent diseases from developing in the first place. The Wellness Industry is what you do to keep from becoming a customer of the sickness industry.

There is a small percentage of Americans getting more fit and healthy as they age. They are early adopters for wellness. They are successful people looking to be fit and healthy and defy aging.

As I do my weekly trip to the grocery store, products that I used to purchase in a specialty market are now available in mainstream supermarkets. Publix Supermarkets, for example, now has a Greenwise products Organic Foods. WalMart is now carrying Organic products and Whole Foods Supermarkets are expanding nation wide.

It is a shame that we have become a society of instant gratification. Everyone is looking for that quick fix from looking for that magic weight loss pill, the latest diet, plastic surgery, liposuction rather than just doing what you need to do. Be consistent about your diet, exercise and supplementation. You will improve your overall health, fitness and wellness, but it is hard work and it does not happen overnight, however, the results are PRICELESS.

The next time you go to the doctor and pay the bill for the doctor's visit, the lab bill for the blood work done on you and the prescription drugs, ask yourself if all of that could be avoided if you had a piece of fruit instead of the candy bar, if you went to the gym instead of sitting on the sofa and if you took a good quality multi vitamin.

For those of you who have turned down the services of a fitness professional because you didn't want to spend the money on it, think of all the money you've wasted on fast foods, over the counter medications, doctor's visits, etc. What would you rather do, end up spending money on a visit to the doctor and the prescription drugs, or a few sessions with a qualified fitness professional. Where would you rather spend the money? Procrastination gives Way to Consequences” - Winston Churchill

Pomegranates May Prevent Growth of Breast Cancer Hormone

2010-01-10T19:16:00.000-05:00

Another “superfood” has made health headlines. Eating fruit, such as pomegranates, that contain anti-aromatase phytochemicals reduces the incidence of hormone-dependent breast cancer, according to results of a study published in the January issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Phytochemicals suppress estrogen production that prevents the proliferation of breast cancer cells and the growth of estrogen-responsive tumors. Previous research has shown that pomegranate juice -- punica granatum L -- is high in antioxidant activity, which is generally attributed to the fruit's high polyphenol content. Ellagic acid found in pomegranates inhibits aromatase, an enzyme that converts androgen to estrogen. Aromatase plays a key role in breast carcinogenesis; therefore, the growth of breast cancer is inhibited.

Conclusion: people may want to consider consuming more pomegranates to protect against cancer development in the breast and perhaps in other tissues and organs.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100105095838.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6045JT20100105

High Fructose Corn Syrup – It’s Everywhere and it’s making us Fat

2010-01-10T19:08:00.001-05:00

Obesity is not just an epidemic here in the States and in the UK, it’s also in other countries in the world where you wouldn’t think it would be an issue. So what’s the culprit? High Fructose Corn Syrup. It’s in just about every thing we consume.

Dietary carbohydrates, especially fructose, are the primary source of a substance called glycerol-3-phosphate, which causes fat to become fixed in fat tissue. At the same time, this diet raises insulin levels, which prevents fat from being released.

This leads to a simple equation: dietary carbohydrates such as high fructose corn syrup lead to obesity, even if you are actually malnourished.

In countries around the world, waistlines are expanding so rapidly that health experts recently coined a term for the epidemic: globesity. One in three of the world’s adults is overweight and one in 10 is obese.

Much of this can be blamed on the simple theory that if you take in more calories than your burn, you will gain weight. But the issue is much more complex than that.

There are several more or less obvious reasons for the dramatic rise in obesity since the 1970s, including:

Increased consumption of highly processed food, especially fructose
Increased portion sizes of restaurant food and grocery products
Increased driving and computer use (sedentary activities)
Increased modernization
Certain medications
Endocrine disorders and genetics
Changing social perceptions of what is "normal" weight

There are also some not so obvious reasons why people are gaining weight at alarming rates. It may be that far more important than the number of calories you consume in a day may be the type of calories you consume.

And if you’re eating a lot of fructose (and there’s a good chance you are considering it’s the number one source of calories in the United States!), it could be programming your body to become fat.

Ironically, the very products that most people rely on to lose weight -- low-fat diet foods -- are often those that contain the most fructose! Even “natural” diet foods often contain fructose as a sweetener.

It’s Time to Cut Out the Fructose

Ideally I recommend that you avoid sugar, in all forms. This is especially important for people who are overweight or have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

But if you are just starting out and looking to cut out fructose first, the largest contributor is easily soda, for which HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) is the primary sweetener. But fructose is not only in sugary drinks. It’s in the vast majority of processed foods, even those you wouldn’t think of as sweet, such as ketchup, soup, salad dressing, bread and crackers.

So even if you don’t drink soda, if you eat processed foods you’re likely consuming fructose -- and a lot of it.

Even natural sweeteners like agave syrup should be avoided, as it is a highly processed sap that is almost all fructose!

If you’re looking for the occasional sweet treat, Dr. Mercola recommends, in this order:

The herb stevia
Raw, organic honey
Organic cane sugar

Small amounts of whole fruit, which do contain fructose, are not a problem. If you’re healthy, you can enjoy fruit in moderation.

The next time you’re in the supermarket, please be sure to check the ingredients. If High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the ingredients, put the item back on the shelf and look at other comparable products until you find one that doesn’t contain High Fructose Corn Syrup.

To learn more about High Fructose Corn Syrup, check out http://www.sweetsurprise.com

Source: Dr. Mercola Alternative Explanation why People Get Fat

Beware of Artifical Sweeteners

2010-01-10T17:05:00.001-05:00

One of my mantras about artificial sweeteners has been – It’s artificial, not natural, therefore, it’s a chemical, a toxin that you are ingesting. The human body was not designed to ingest toxins and chemicals, thereby putting your self potentially at risk of disease.

Aspartame is a very popular artificial sweetener that is also known as Nutra Sweet and Equal. Aspartame is widely used as a sweetener, 200 times more than sugar, in tea and coffee, especially by the weight conscious.

Aspartame was synthesized by G.D. Searle in 1965 after its strong sweet taste was first noted. Subsequent toxicology tests by Searle revealed brain damage in mice, and cancer in the liver, testes and thyroid of rats. However, the results of these tests were never published nor reported to the FDA.

Aspartame is the second most widely used artificial sweetener in the world. It is found in more than 6,000 products including carbonated and powdered soft drinks, hot chocolate, chewing gum, candy, desserts, yogurt, and tabletop sweeteners, as well as some pharmaceutical products like vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.

In 1975, a FDA Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on the toxicity of aspartame. This revealed gross abuse in Searle's claims which trivialized or suppressed evidence on the toxic and carcinogenic effects of aspartame.

In 1996, based on a comprehensive review of the scientific literature, Dr. John Olney, a leading independent U.S. scientist, confirmed that aspartame caused brain cancer when fed to rodents.

Yet, despite all the evidence of how harmful aspartame is, the FDA approved it. There is some good news. It is anticipated that Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the new FDA Commissioner, will ban all dietary uses of aspartame.

In light of all this information, if you are consuming any product that contains an artificial sweetener of ANY KIND, aspartame or saccharine, your best bet would be to stay clear of these products and use a natural sweetener such as raw honey or raw sugar and simply ditch your diet soda for sparkling water or club soda with a fresh lemon or lime.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-s-epstein/a-dangerous-spin-on-the-c_b_411919.html

5 Excuses That Won't Fly in 2010

2010-01-05T16:19:00.004-05:00

I had the pleasure of having Tom Venuto on my FitTalk Show last year. Over the holidays, we had exchanged emails talking about how being more fit and healthy remains the top goal for most people, particularly with all the talk of health care.
I shared with Tom my article, Another New Year's Resolution, as he was a resource I had mentioned in my article. During our exchange, we talked about how excuses remains the most common deterrent with people when it comes to weight loss success.
With that, Tom told me that he had an article he had written called, 5 Excuses that Won't Fly in 2010 and I am excited to publish Tom's article as a guest blogger.

5 Excuses That Won't Fly in 2010
Written by Guest Blogger: Tom Venuto
Author: Burn The Fat

It’s 2010. Your old excuses for not getting in shape won’t work. As Dr. Evil (Austin Powers) said, ZIP IT! I don’t want to hear them anymore! Read em’, then haul your excuseless butt to the gym!
1. I have no time.
According to a story in a recent issue of Men’s Health magazine, Barack Obama works out for 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Obama doesn’t just play basketball either. Our new president stays fit to lead with cardio and weight lifting. He also says he wishes he could train 90 minutes a day. Have you ever seen what the daily schedule of a U.S. president looks like? If the busiest man in the world can train every day for 45 minutes a day, then what’s your excuse? ZIP IT! You ain’t got one!
2. It’s too expensive.
Getting in shape certainly is expensive… if you keep wasting hundreds of dollars, month after month on worthless “miracle” weight loss pills, internal cleansing gimmicks and “magic” potions that all claim to make you slim. Deceptive advertising and slick marketing for bogus diet aids is more rampant than ever. 2010 was the year of thewu-long tea scam, the acai berry scam, and, of course, the ubiquitous “cleansing” and “detox” gimmicks . Unless you put on your critical thinking cap and learn to investigate before you invest, then you’ll get scammed by 2010’s flavor of the year as well. Your quest for those elusive “6-pack” abs will not only continue to be expensive, you’ll go broke. Walking, jogging, calisthenics and body weight exercises are FREE. If you want to know what’s really expensive, tally up the cost of legitimate expenses like natural food, gym memberships, fitness education, dumbbells and so on, and compare that to your doctor’s bill when you’re sick.
3. No one will support me.
Experts on social influence say your income will be approximately equal to the average of your 5 closest friends. Not only do I think that’s pretty darn accurate, I also believe that your health is your greatest wealth, and your physical condition will be about equal to the average of your 5 closest friends. It’s a real challenge to stay positive, focused and active when you’re surrounded by critical people and negative influences. However, in 2010, lack of support is no longer a valid excuse. Online social networking is exploding (check out Twitter and Facebook ) and more IN PERSON friendships and associations are being made from an internet connection than ever before. Training buddies can be found online. Connect with them. Mentors and coaches are easily found online. Hire them. Support forums have been around for years. Use them. No support from your current friends? Stop whining, start reaching out and go make new ones. In 2010, support partners and new friends are just a click away.
4. I can’t lose weight because of my genetics.
The marvels of modern medical and biological research are astonishing. Our top scientists have mapped the human genome! In the past few years, numerous genes linked to obesity have been discovered. However, the obesity epidemic we’re facing today has only developed over the past 50 years and genetic mutations that lead to serious obesity are extremely rare. Genetic predisposition only means that you have a tendency. It’s when the genetics meet lifestyle and environment that the genes express themselves. If you have a family history of heart disease, is it smart to smoke, eat junk, be a stressed-out, type-A maniac and a couch potato? Well of course not, and it’s the same with obesity. If you have a tendency predisposing you towards obesity, you’d better be the person doing the MOST exercise, not the least. You’d better be the person paying the MOST attention to your nutrition. You’d better be the person with the healthiest lifestyle. But unfortunately, it’s usually the opposite. Most people throw up their arms in frustration saying, “what’s the use, I was dealt a bad hand.” Sorry. That won’t fly in 2010. The latest research says genetics are a factor, but a tendency is not a destiny!
5. I don’t know how.
The lamest excuse of them all in 2010 is “I don’t know how.” NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DO ANYTHING UNTIL AFTER THEY HAVE ACTUALLY DONE IT! Ponder that for a while. You don’t need to know how at first. To get started, you only need to know WHAT… what is the goal? Setting well-formed goals is the master skill of success. Not wishy-washy resolutions that have no resolve behind them, but real goals. In writing. With emotional ooompf! As you continue to affirm, visualize and focus on your goal with clarity, belief, and expectation, your new goal or intention will be received by your subconscious. Once a goal is accepted into your subconscious mind, your brain, being a goal-seeking mechanism, will turn on your attention filters to seek out all the information you will ever need to reach your goal. It will also turn on an infallible navigation system to guide you to your goal like a torpedo to its target. As your brain guides your attention, your direction and your behavior, you will discover that today, in 2010, there is more good information, coaching and instruction available than ever before. And when you’ve activated that “success radar” in your brain by setting goals effectively, it’s not as hard to find honest, accurate and helpful HOW-TO advice as you might think. In fact, you found this webpage, so you’re doing pretty good right now, aren’t you?
No more excuses. In 2010, remember my Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle Creed: You can either make excuses or get results, but you can’t do both!

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, independent nutrition researcher, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

Going Organic – Why it’s good for your health, and good for your waist line

2010-01-05T15:42:00.000-05:00

I have always believed that if you eat a diet that is free of unhealthy processed foods, than that is all you need to do to maintain good health. My diet has been “clean” for many years avoiding foods that have “ingredients”. This means a diet that is rich in fibrous fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean animal proteins.

I never really thought about or considered going organic. In my mind, I believed that I was eating healthy and I also had been a victim of the “myth” that organics are too expensive.

Every day, I read through the latest health news on several sites. More and more, I have been reading reports of how our food supply and soil has been compromised by industrialized farming and the effect it has on our health. News reports about food safety are becoming more common.

Documentaries on the food industry and what it’s doing to our health are starting the hit the main stream.

As a person who is very health conscious, I realized I was exposing myself to all kinds of chemicals and toxins that were compromising my healthy lifestyle. I knew the time had come for me to make the change and switch over to going organic.

Organic food is expensive - NOT

Before I even tell you why going organic is good for your health and good for your waistline, I’m going to tackle the myth that organic food is too expensive. Not so if you know where and how to shop for it.

I am fortunate enough to have a Whole Foods Market in my area. For the longest time, I avoided purchasing my groceries in there because of the rumor that you’d need to take out a second mortgage in order to shop there. I decided it was time to bite the bullet and go. Much to my surprise, everything in there was more affordable than I thought. The trick is to purchase their brand which is organic and is top notch quality. My grocery bills are now actually lower compared to the more mainstream supermarkets I had been doing my shopping.

If you don’t have a Whole Foods in your area, Farmer’s Markets are becoming more and more popular or check your local listings for Organic Supermarkets in your area.

Organic for Better Health

Although I had been eating a diet that was natural and free of preservatives, I was exposing myself to all kinds of toxic chemicals. More and more pesticides are being used and are compromising the quality of the soil. We are also consuming genetically modified foods.

Many grain and bean crops that are being grown in soil that has been compromised through the overuse of pesticides, herbicides and other chemical additives are not are only stripping our foods of the nutrients we should be getting, but are also used to create the processed foods which make up the bulk of the foods we eat, but are also used to feed factory farmed livestock and fish.

Essentially, our bodies are being exposed to chemicals and toxins that can compromise our health and our waist lines. According to Dr. John Salerno, “The ancient wisdom of mankind says you should eat until you are satisfied, and these foods simply don't satisfy us. Add to that the chemicals added to the so-called value-added foods which are put there to replace the natural goodness that has been lost and you have a real problem.

These food additives, with unpronounceable names and unknown derivatives are known categorically as excitotoxins. Did you ever wonder why Dad could sit down in front of the television to watch the ball game and eat an entire package of corn chips? It's the Dr. Strangelove additions designed in the lab to make that food so tasty, Dad's natural satiety switch is turned off.

Those added chemicals, which by the way, even show up on fresh produce that isn't organic by way of sprays and dips, and chemical baths, can derail any weight loss program. Chemicals can increase food cravings, cause water retention, and can actually cause weight gain. These same additives are often allergenic, and can cause insulin to spike, playing havoc with those people who are pre-diabetic, or diabetic.”

Industrialized Livestock
Knowing what I know, I’m not giving up my animal proteins any time soon. Animal proteins are where most of my calories come from.

Not only are animals and fish being fed chemically treated grains, they are also injected with all kinds of hormones and antibiotics, which, we are ingesting when we eat livestock and fish.

There are supermarkets and farmers markets that sell non industrialized livestock that are purchased from local farmers that are free of chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. Grass fed beef, bison, cage free chickens, eggs are available through local farmers. There are also fish farms that are void of chemicals and antibiotics.

American Health Association Ban on Hormones in Milk and Beef
In an article written by Samuel S. Epstein for the Huffington Post, reported “The Cancer Prevention Coalition is pleased to announce that the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association has voted to oppose the continued sale and use of genetically engineered hormonal rBGH milk, and also meat adulterated with sex hormones. This decision is based on long-standing scientific and public policy information developed and published by the Cancer Prevention Coalition over the last two decades.”

You can learn more about rBGH and adulterated hormones and how it affects your health, please refer to Samuel S. Epstein’s article.

Making the change
Since I have switched over to eating organic fruits and vegetables, making sure that my beef, chicken, fish and dairy products are free of hormones, antibiotics, etc., I have definitely noticed an improvement with my digestive system. I never really had an issue with stomach bloating, however, I have noticed that the small amount of bloating I would sometimes experience is non existent. My skin and hair is more vibrant and find that I am more energetic than ever before. Although I am currently not trying to lose or gain weight, I have noticed that after one month of switching over, I did lose a few pounds and I have been able to maintain a consistent weight meaning, my body is not retaining water like it was.

If you are suffering from any chronic illnesses, it is possible that your health issues are directly related to the foods you eat. Diet and exercise are the keys towards improved health and weight loss, however, if you are not already doing so, try switching over to organic fruits and vegetables and eat beef, chicken, fish and dairy products that are free of antibiotics and hormones. If you do this consistently for three months, you should be feeling a lot better and may also be able to free yourself of some prescription drugs you may be on, with your doctor’s permission.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-john-salerno/why-i-recommend-organic-f_b_403348.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/samuel-s-epstein/american-publlic-health-a_b_399147.html

Recommend readings/dvd's on this topic:

Another New Year's Resolution

2010-01-01T17:08:00.003-05:00

Another year has come and gone and another New Year is before us. Hundreds of thousands of people are feeling the effects of another holiday season of too much over indulgence and too little exercise. Hundreds of thousands of people are yet again, making another New Year’s Resolution to lose weight.

If you are one of the many who is yet again, making weight loss your New Year’s Resolution, ask yourself why you find yourself with the same goal at the start of every year. Why will this year be different from all the others?

Don’t think of it as a New Year’s Resolution. That phrase in itself has a negative connotation and doesn’t sound long term. New Year’s Resolutions have a built in bad reputation for failure. Their life spans are short, goals never quite reached. I would suggest that you look at it from a different perspective. Don’t call it a New Year’s Resolution. It’s a proposal to YOURSELF, a life long commitment to YOU,

Everyone starts off motivated with good intentions of weight loss success, but they fall off the path somewhere. Why? What are the excuses that stopped you in the past? Have you really taken the time to sit down with a pen and paper and write down why your previous efforts didn’t succeed? If you were to do that, you would get a good understanding of where your efforts got derailed and ask yourself what you could do differently this time around to prevent that from happening again.

Establishing good habits take time. They don’t happen overnight. The things you do habitually require no thought and they are actions you perform consistently day after day. The same concept applies towards exercising on a consistent basis and improving your nutrition.

My diet and exercise habits didn’t develop overnight and it wasn’t easy in the beginning. It was a conscious effort. My nutritional habits are second nature to me now. It requires no effort for me to avoid foods that aren’t nutrient rich.

When it comes to exercise, a lot of people will come up with excuses as to why they don’t. The number one excuse most people have is that they don’t have time. I had the opportunity to interview Tom Venuto on my FitTalk Show and when we discussed the “I don’t have the time” excuse, Tom’s response to that was, "you have all the time in the world. You have the same time everyone else has. Twenty four hours in a day. The same amount of time as Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet and The President." What you haven't done is taken the time to sit down and prioritize your life - put health as a high priority.”

If time is an issue for you, one of the best ways to maximize your time and your efforts is to walk into the gym with a “game plan”. There are thousands of workout programs out there and fitness professionals such as myself who can create a game plan for you. When you walk into the gym knowing exactly what it is you need to do, i.e., what exercises, how many sets, how many reps, your workouts will be more focused and you won’t be wasting time trying to think about what to do next. Your workouts will have a purpose. Having a “game plan” will help keep you motivated to complete the workout you walked into the gym with.

Most programs are 3 months, 12 weeks, 90 days. Once you have chosen a program, (book, e-book, fitness professional or an on line service such as the one I provide), commit yourself to the length of the program. Set aside an appointment with yourself at the same time 3-4 days per week. By doing this, you are creating a habit. If you can stick to a 90 day program, you are on your way towards making exercise part of your lifestyle.

If you want to get a great e-book, I highly recommend Tom Venuto’s Burn The Fat program. I provide a personalized on-line services much like my in person client’s get.

The next component is your nutrition. I never refer to it as a “diet”. Following a “diet” is never long term, or a lifestyle. “Diets” tend to be quick fixes and most people have difficulty sticking to a “diet”. What you want to do is think of yourself as making better food choices and it can be a gradual process so you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself or going through withdrawals that some foods can cause once you suddenly omit them from your diet.

In order to make better food choices, you need to be aware of your current food choices. This suggestion is nothing new; however, it’s tried and true. Keep a food journal. Make an effort for 1 week to write down everything you eat and drink. This will make you more aware of what you eat.

When you find yourself snacking, be aware if you’re snacking in front of the TV, computer, etc. Rather than bring a bag or container with you to your desk, living room, etc., put a single serving in a bowl and eat only the serving in the bowl. Better yet, substitute the snack for a better choice such an apple with a handful of nuts.

If you are a soda drinker, and you notice that you are having at least 1 can of soda a day, rather than quit soda cold turkey, try cutting back on the amount of sodas you drink per week. That’s one simple change that can help make a difference. Over time, you will be able to give up soda. (Regular and diet are both bad for you).

When you look at foods, ask yourself if the choice you’re making has any nutritional value. Are the foods you eating have ingredients you can’t pronounce or is it in its natural state (i.e., fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken, etc.). Just like your workouts, if you stick with making better, nutritional food choices for 90 days, you will develop new habits that will get you closer to your weight loss goals. Another tip, if you prepare your meals in advance and carry them with you, it will help you avoid eating foods that aren’t in line with your goals.

Finally, you want to build muscle and burn fat. Like anything else, it’s a process. There is no quick fix. No magic pill. If there was, obesity wouldn’t be an issue. Also, the results you get are what you put into it as a lifestyle. Just as being fit and healthy is a lifestyle choice, being unfit and overweight is a lifestyle choice too.

Here’s to a lifetime of good health through better nutrition and an active, fit, body.

Recommended resources

Tom Venuto Burn The Fat E-Book

ShariFitness On Line Personal Training & Coaching

Healing Foods in the Health Headlines

2010-01-01T16:36:00.001-05:00

Health Trend – Healing Foods

Foods that are nutrient rich that are good for the body was talked about this past year and will continue to be in the news in the new year. The healing benefits of food have been reported by cultures worldwide throughout history. The past decade has presented an explosion of research showing specifically what health benefits individual foods can offer. Studies in the past decade have taken nutritional research beyond protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.

The past decade has spawned grass roots efforts and studies spreading the word about the dangers of processed foods and the impact it has on our health. The dangers of food additives such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and trans fats are being reported on more and more educating consumers to start taking a closer look at the ingredient labels on the foods they eat.

Super foods that have received a lot of press in the past decade for their research-supported health benefits. A diet rich in super foods can help you lower your cholesterol, keep your blood pressure under control, maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, and, for an added bonus, put you in a better mood. A healthy diet incorporating a variety of the following super foods along with exercise, will help you maintain your weight, fight disease, and live longer. One thing they all have in common is that they real, unprocessed foods.

What are these super foods that have made headlines? Here’s a list of the top superfoods and their benefits.

Quinoa

Quinoa is a seed that is a completed protein, meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids, is high in magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Because of it’s high protein content, quinoa is a good choice for vegans looking to get adequate protein in their diet. The high magnesium content is beneficial for those who have hypertension (high blood pressure). Studies have indicated that it can help alleviate migraine symptoms, is heart healthy, can substantially reduce type 2 diabetes risk and is rich in antioxidants.

Raw Honey

Not only is honey a natural sweetener, research has shown that it has anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects and is effective at treating wounds.

Blueberries

Among the fruits with the highest level of antioxidants, blueberries have been linked to lowering cholesterol, reducing diabetes risk, slowing the aging process, improving motor skills and supporting urinary and vision health.

Researchers have found that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

Salmon

Salmon is low in calories, high in protein and rich in healthy omega-3 fats. Omega 3s you get in fish lower heart disease risk, help arthritis, and may possibly help with memory loss and Alzheimer's. Research showing anti-inflammatory and cancer prevention properties are impressive. Look for wild salmon vs. farmed to avoid contaminants such as PCBs.

Green Tea

Green tea has ECGC, a powerful antioxidant. Researchers in Spain and the United Kingdom have shown that ECGC can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Studies are pointing towards its potential in decreasing incidence of stroke and heart disease, and its role in reducing inflammation associated with several types of IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). More recent research is indicating that green tea may help prevent type-2 diabetes and osteoporosis.

Walnuts

Walnuts are heart healthy and is an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Some of the health benefits walnuts provide range from cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function for brain health, to anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. In addition, walnuts contain an antioxidant compound that supports the immune system and appears to have several anticancer properties.

Dark Chocolate

Hard to believe but yes, dark chocolate does have health benefits. However, keep in mind that it is chocolate and not to be over indulged in. The darker it is, the lower the fat and sugar content. New research has shown that dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and can lower blood pressure. Recent studies show that dark chocolate helps ease emotional stress.

Yogurt

In addition to protein, vitamins such as B-2 and B-12, minerals such as calcium and magnesium, yogurt consumers also enjoy the benefits of probiotics. Probiotics are known as the “good bacteria” that can reside in the intestines, offering immune and digestive support. Research has shown improved vaginal health among women consuming yogurt, and the cholesterol-lowering properties of yogurt look promising. Plain Greek yogurt with active cultures is recommended and is lower in sugar than most yogurts. When buying yogurt, be sure to read the label to make sure your yogurt contains 15-20 grams of protein and has 12 grams or less of sugar.

Oats

There’s no better way of starting your day than with a bowl of oats. Not only is a bowl of oats high in fiber, and is beneficial if you are looking to prevent or are currently dealing with heart disease or diabetes. Individuals with high cholesterol (above 220 mg/dl), consuming just 3 grams of soluble oat fiber per day (an amount found in one bowl of oatmeal) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%. This is highly significant since each 1% drop in serum cholesterol translates to a 2% decrease in the risk of developing heart disease. Oats also stabilize blood sugar which is a significant benefit for those with type 2 diabetes.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a fibrous vegetable loaded with vitamins such as A, B-6, folic acid, and K and minerals such as calcium and potassium and has cancer protection benefits.

It will be interesting to find out what other foods will make news as nutritional research becomes more and more prominent. In the mean time, be sure to add these foods to your daily diet.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" — Hippocrates

~Nourish the body with foods that are natural and nutrient rich ~ShariFitness

You Can Attract It on FitTalk

2009-12-21T15:59:00.005-05:00

You Can Attract It

Steve G. Jones and Frank Mangano

Listen to my You Can Attract It interview with Steve G. Jones and Frank Mangano

FitTalk featured two good friends of mine, Clinical Hypnotherapist Steve G. Jones and Leading Natural Health Advocate, Frank Mangano to talk about their new Law of Attraction book, You Can Attract It

During the course of the interview, Frank and Steve were very candid and there was so much we talked about in depth which couldn’t be covered in this article. After reading the highlights of my interview with them, I highly recommend you listen to the podcast by clicking on the player above.

Steve and Frank teamed up to write what is becoming a best selling Law of Attraction book on Amazon.com called You Can Attract It. There are many aspects to the Law of Attraction. Mind and spirit are connected to the body and have a lot to do with your health. When you look at what Steve, Frank and I do, we are all in the business of helping people improve their lives and well being, and, we are also Law of Attraction practitioners. Once you come to understand how the Law of Attraction affects your life every day, you will understand how it will help improve your life and well being when you learn how to use it.

As an avid Law of Attraction student, I have read many books by some of the top Law of Attraction experts. Steve G. Jones and Frank Mangano have put a new twist on this topic with their book, You Can Attract It. Both share their own personal story of how the Law of Attraction changed their lives and Steve’s background as a hypnotherapist provides great ways towards getting in touch with your subconscious mind to attract what you want.

A healthy, physical body is also important when using the Law of Attraction as the mind is connected to the body. Frank’s background in Natural Health teaches you how your Health plays a big role in attracting what you want, and how you can attract optimal health.

The Law of Attraction is based on science. Steve and Frank go over the science as to how the Law of Attraction works.

If you are a Law of Attraction enthusiast or new to this topic, You Can Attract It is a must read.

The Law of Attraction and troubled times

I commented to Steve and Frank that the launch of their book is perfect timing being that we are coming towards the end of what has been a year of turmoil for so many people. There are many people out there who may be experiencing stress, depression, anger, and uncertainty about their lives and about their future. Most people don’t view these times as an opportunity to reinvent themselves. It’s all about shifting your thoughts and your vibrational energy to attract what you want and that is what the Law of Attraction is all about.

People are wondering what the solution is to these troubled times. According to Steve, the solution is doing the opposite of what the media says. Look inside yourself and find that positive part of yourself and share that with the world and make that your reality and keep the faith.

Frank stated that “it doesn’t have to be this way. It is unfortunate that people have experienced turmoil in their lives whether it is financially, relationally or with health issues.” Through the methods in their new book, You Can Attract It, people will learn what they can do to turn a negative situation into a positive.

Personal Stories
In Chapter One Steve and Frank share their personal stories. I really like how they open up and give the reader a glimpse into their life “before”.

Steve’s Story

Steve was in a marriage that ended. Saddened by the demise of his marriage, he decided to wipe the slate clean and traveled across the country from Florida to Los Angeles with only a few hundred dollars and an old van. Steve rebuilt is life in Beverly Hills and opened what became a successful hypnotherapy practice that attracted a who’s who of some of Hollywood’s top celebrities as clients. As Steve put it, he built the business, attracted the clients and his career took off. Steve’s life changed from being down and out, having little or no money and driving across the country in an old van to becoming the hypnotherapist to the stars. Steve attracted all of this. He believed in it and he made it happen.

Frank’s Story

Frank had a lot of low paying, dead end jobs and dreaded working for others. What lead Frank to where he is today and self-publishing his first book is through a situation with his mother who was diagnosed with high cholesterol. Frank did extensive research and created a program for his mother to follow that would naturally lower her cholesterol and avoid her being on prescription medicine. Frank was inspired by the success he had helping his mother that he decided that if he can help his mother, he can help many more, thus, self-publishing his first book.

In the meantime, Frank continued working his dead end jobs, but knew his dream was to do research and write about natural health. The one thing that stood in Frank’s way of realizing his dream was that he was surrounded by negative people who didn’t believe in his goals.

Frank realized that these negative influences were getting in his way and made the choice to distance himself from these people. Once he did that, things started happening for him.

**Frank’s biggest piece of advice is that you must rid yourself of any negativity in your life because it will stand in your way and hold you back. **

What is The Law of Attraction
Everything in this world is energy. We are energy and everything around us is energy. The Law of Attraction is very much about energy and getting into the same vibrational frequency as the things you want. To some, this may sound a bit new agey and out there, but understanding this is a big part of learning how to make the Law of Attraction work for you.

I asked Frank to explain his definition of The Law of Attraction. According to Frank, essentially, you attract what you think about most. To make the Law of Attraction work more efficiently for you, you need to rid yourself of limiting and negative thoughts.

You Can Attract It provides you with the process, or plan of action, to help you attract what you want in your life. Frank briefly outlined the 6 step process he and Steve provide you with in their book, You Can Attract It.

Step 1 – Change the Negative into a Positive

Step 2 – Know What You Do Not Want

Step 3 – Know What it is You Do Want

Step 4 – Ask For What You Want

Step 5 – Allow What You Want Into Your Life

Step 6 – Receive It, Enjoy It, Be Thankful For It, Surround Yourself With It

Steve had a different explanation of what the Law of Attraction is. We are energy and the Law of Attraction is all about the energy or vibration we put out. The vibrations we put out over and over again become a pattern, reinforcing the vibrations you put out to the Universe which is really at the heart of the Law of Attraction.

Steve’s analogy of the vibrations we put out are like waves or ripples; kind of like when you throw a pebble into a pond, you will see waves or ripples start to ripple out in a pond. These ripples can be negative or positive thoughts. The thing in the pond that resonates with those ripples will be attracted to it.

You can use this theory to your advantage and put out positive ripples attracting positive people, situations and creating a positive support group.

Abundance
Initially, when you say the word abundance to someone, they instantly think of financial wealth as abundance, however, abundance is much more than that. In this chapter, Steve provides an abundance script. This is where Steve’s background as a hypnotherapist adds a twist to The Law of Attraction that I have not seen in other books on this topic.

Hypnotherapy comes into play to overcome your stumbling blocks that prevent your from attracting the things your really want. Many of us create walls that prevent us from going through them. As Steve put it, hypnotherapy helps you drive a tank through those walls so that you can attract the things you want that will add abundance to your life.

Health

The human body truly is a temple and when mind, body and spirit are acting synergistically, you feel good and you are emitting positive emotions and vibrations to The Universe. Good Health is vital when it comes to attracting the things you want. When your health and fitness is not up to par, it affects you physically and emotionally and you are not in a positive vibration. Going back towards changing your mindset from negative to positive, if you are always in a negative vibration, it does affect your health.

As a leading natural health advocate, Frank provides some very detailed information about health in this chapter. During my interview about the Law of Attraction and Health, Frank talked about some of the recent scientific studies on brain imaging and they have discovered mirror neurons. What this means is that humans mirror the behavior of the object or person they are observing. This applies to the Law of Attraction. If we hang around people who are active, healthy, like to exercise, that will have an affect on us. Surrounding yourself with people who have healthy habits will rub off on you so to speak.

Steve provides a detailed “health script” to reprogram your mind for optimal health. Many people want to improve their health, however, when it comes to taking the right action, they need to take that action and turn it into a healthy habit. They will find that difficult to make excuses as to whey they didn’t eat as healthy and nutritiously as they should, or why they didn’t exercise, etc. The mind and body need to be reminded of what to do and again, this is where Steve’s background as a hypnotherapist helps the reader.

**Frank emphasized that you need to take action. This goes beyond just positive thinking**

Wealth

So now we’re going to get to the part that everyone is interested in when it comes to the Law of Attraction. How do I attract the money or as Tom Cruise was yelling into the phone in Jerry Maguire….”Show me The Money”. Wealth is a whole other mindset. I also think that people may not realize the negative inner conversation they have with themselves when it comes to wealth. For instance, when you’re on the highway and you see someone driving an expensive car or you pass a nice house and you think to yourself “Must be Nice” with a sarcastic undertone, which is an example of having a negative inner conversation with yourself about Wealth and Wealthy people.

Steve spoke about Wealth and told me that the concept of wealth has become distasteful and to many it’s the haves and have not mindset. This thought process stems from the connotation of limitations in the Universe. People who focus on “lack of and not having” will always lack and not have. Those who focus on opportunity will attract and create the people, places and events that will provide them with the opportunity to attract wealth. Look for the possibilities and you will see that abundance around you. The world is an abundant orchard and there are plenty of apples available for the picking. If you don’t believe that, then you won’t see that you are standing in the middle of the apple orchard.

**Steve’s take away message – To achieve wealth you need to believe in yourself and will help you rise like a Phoenix out of the ashes.**

Frank added to that by saying “Limiting beliefs will be the obstacle that will hinder your efforts towards using the Law of Attraction to attract what you want, including wealth. True wealth is about having it all.”

Relationships
Another topic I feel is important are the relationships you have with people and this is not just about romantic relationships. It’s the friends you attract, the business associates you attract and yes, romantic relationships and relationships you have with loved ones

According to Frank, attracting relationships is not about attracting a specific person, but a type of person. You need to know what it is in detail, what type of person you are looking to attract not only in your romantic /personal relationships, but in your business relationships as well. If you focus on the type of person you want to attract in detail, then you will attract that relationship.

Steve stated that you need to have a clear vision of what you want. When it comes to relationships, all too often we focus on what we don’t want or what we don’t like. The Universe will think that’s what you do want and will keep delivering what you don’t want to you.

Your relationships are a litmus test of what you attract. To improve on an existing relationship, focus of the positive aspects of it rather than the negative.

Success
I asked Frank and Steve what success means to them and how can someone use the Law of Attraction to attract more success in their lives.

For Frank, the meaning of true success means living an abundant life and it’s not only about the money, although it does play a role, but it’s only one piece of it. Success to Frank does mean being financially independent, being physically and emotionally healthy, and having good relationships. That’s the meaning of true success.

If someone is looking to attract true success into their life, they need to evaluate their life and write down exactly what area of their life they need to be more successful in and start working on that area of their life. Focus your energy and attention of that, and take action to get to your goal. Be specific with what you want to be successful with. Surround yourself people who have achieved the same goals you are looking to achieve.

For Steve, success means being able to help people at greater level. In the beginning, Steve was only able to help a few people, but now the internet, TV, etc., he is able to help thousands of people with product promotions at a price people can afford. Financial abundance is a by product of success. The money is just a by product of being able to help people by providing a service to them.

Being able to help as many people as possible. It’s not about money, but it is a by product of having that ability.

Steve believed that he could be of service to a lot people and the he would be able to sustain himself from doing this. Believing that you will be OK if you follow your heart and trust it, that is how you can use the Law of Attraction to create the life you want.

Lifestyle
Your lifestyle has a lot to do with what you attract and no one knows this better than Frank Mangano. If you’re not eating healthy foods, not exercising and possibly smoking, what kind of signal are you putting out to attract back to you? If you aren’t eating properly, you’re sending the signal that you don’t want a healthy body. If you’re not exercising, you’re sending out the signal that you don’t care about your body.

If you’re looking to improve your overall health, clean up your lifestyle. By cleaning up your lifestyle, you are clearing the negative signals and you will attract better health. Your lifestyle habits are going to play a tremendous role in the Law of Attraction process. Health has everything to do with the Law of Attraction.

Hypnosis
Hypnosis certainly does play a large role in getting the Law of Attraction to work for you. 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. Steve is certainly the master in the field of hypnotherapy and there is a chapter devoted to this.

Steve teaches you how to program yourself in the book. Steve’s take away message is that you hypnotize yourself every day and you surround yourself with people every day that have an influence on you and you have an influence on yourself.

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.

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

Steve’s takeaway message ** We can hypnotize ourselves in our daily lives, so be sure to surround yourself with positive people, positive things, positive suggestions, so that we can have hypnosis work for us in a positive rather than negative way.**

There is so much more material in You Can Attract it which also goes into more detail than was covered in the interview.

For more information about Steve G. Jones, you can visit his website : http://budurl.com/BetterLivingHypnosis

For more information about Frank Mangano, you can visit his website www.naturalhealthontheweb.com

Click here to order your copy of You Can Attract It.

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

Holiday Food Survival Tips

2009-12-21T14:34:00.013-05:00

Are you committing Holiday Food gluttony? Is it difficult for you to just say no? Will you find yourself in a Holiday food coma?

No doubt, this is the time of year to eat, drink and be merry. Is it possible to enjoy the holidays and not go into food gluttony?

With that, I bring you my Holiday Food Survival Tips.

Holiday Food Survival Tip #1. Exercise to burn excess calories. The reason why most of us gain weight this time of year is that we are consuming more calories than we are burning. Overindulging will not only increase your weight, but will also zap your energy levels leaving you lethargic and sluggish. Exercise will not only help you feel better physically and mentally, but it will also make you feel more energetic.

Holiday Food Survival Tip #2 - Drink lots of water throughout the day every day to help flush excess sodium in holiday foods. Many of the foods you eat either in restaurants or parties are going to be loaded with sodium. Excess sodium makes your body retain water like a sponge, which makes you feel bloated. Try to avoid high sodium foods and drink water throughout the day and night.

Holiday Food Survival Tip #3- Do not skip breakfast. People skip breakfast and other meals to help "make room" for the upcoming feast or with the thought process that if they cut back the calories in skipped meals, that they won't be consuming as many calories at their holiday event. Wrong. The opposite ends up happening. You end up consuming more calories during the 1 big meal. By the time you get to your holiday event, you are so hungry and the aroma of food becomes so overwhelming that you end up eating more.

Holiday Food Survival Tip #4 - Have a healthy snack such as protein shake, yogurt or salad 1 hour prior to your holiday party or dinner. You won't be as hungry and won't over indulge.

Holiday Food Survival Tip #5 - Use a smaller plate and pile on the veggies and protein. If you use a smaller plate and pile fill 1/2 your plate with vegetables and lean protein, you will have less room on your plate for the "bad stuff" and will be consuming fewer calories.

Holiday Food Survival Tip #6- Don't deprive yourself, however, limit your intake of sweets, for example, have one cookie or a sliver of cake/pie. One thing I do is I will have a "taste" of some of the desserts. I will choose 3 desserts and take a tablespoon size portion of my 3 choices allowing me to "taste" without actually eating 3 desserts.

Holiday Food Survival Tip #7- Walk away from the dinner and buffet table once you have finished eating to avoid unnessary, excessive snacking. Even though you've eaten a full meal, by hanging around the dinner table or buffet table, we tend to keep on eating, simply because the food is there. If you are having a conversation with someone, suggest to that person that you continue the conversation in another room.

I hope these tips help you survive the holiday season with minimal waist line damage.

Wishing you good health this holiday season,

ShariFitness