Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

So, winter’s nearly here and many are fighting off that first seasonal cold and some are dreading the flu.  I have many friends that get it every year, sometimes more than once and some are constantly battling sicknesses throughout the autumn and winter seasons.   With my friends in mind and for those looking for a more natural way to boost your immune system without getting vaccines,  I’ve collected a few lists from reputable sites sharing foods that are known “Immunity Boosters”.  Remember to always eat the best foods possible, organic farmed produce, wild fishes and like, grass-fed beef, bison, free-range chickens and eggs and cook the food as little as possible.

This first list is from Mercola.com.  It contains a few items that are a bit more difficult to find in some areas but try your best for they are by far the most effective.  You can read the full article with complete explanations here: Top 12 Foods for Healthy Immune Response

1. Unpasteurized Grass-Fed Organic Milk; or Whey Protein as an Alternative

2. Fermented foods such as kefir, natto, kimchee, miso, tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt (watch for sugar), and olives.

3. Raw Organic Eggs from Free-Range Chickens

4. Grass-Fed Beef or Organ Meats

5. Coconuts and Coconut Oil

6. Locally Grown Organic Vegetables Appropriate for Your Nutritional Type the amount and type of vegetables you should eat daily will depend on your nutritional type.

7. Blueberries and Raspberries

8. Mushrooms

9. Chlorella [Chlorella water..Yum!  Seriously, I enjoy it a lot]

10. Propolis

11. Teas [Green and Tulsi]

12. Herbs and Spices [click here for the list]

The 15 best foods for your Immune System from AlterNet.Org. This list may be a bit more practical for most.  I myself find that my daily diet incorporates items from both lists.  Again, follow the link for the full article and explanations. 

1. Oysters; Yep.  Oysters produce cytokines, a protein that’s known to ward off illnesses.

2. Yogurt

3. Green Tea

4. Oranges

5. Crab; Like oysters, crab meat is rich in selenium, a nutrient that strengthens your immune system.

6. Garlic

7. Carrots

8. Spinach

9. Sweet Potatoes

10. Mushrooms

11. Salmon

12. Kiwi

13. Bell Peppers

14. Broccoli

15. Oats & Barley

Deborah McIncrow
Women’s Health & Wellness Coach

The Wonders of Weight Loss

Losing weight and feeling healthier can be a constant challenge in your life. There are certain steps that you can put into action that will continue to promote your forward motion and successful endeavors on your lifelong journey toward healthier and lighter living. They are not out of your range and you have to believe in yourself and persevere toward their endowment and bequest. For it is only when you strive for continued involvement in these essential elements that you begin to see the results that you are longing for.

Let’s take a look at five essential elements that promote success, and provide a pathway lined with achievement. Let’s see how many of the elements find their way into your daily line up:

Healthy Food Selection: Fueling your body with a gracious amount of fruits and vegetables and other powerful choices is the responsibility of you. You must limit unwise food choices and establish new, more beneficial ways of fueling your temple.

Portion Control: Being aware of your need for energy is priceless in your ability to fuel your body with the correct amount of food. Listen to yourself. Pay attention to your mind, body and soul when it gives you signals to stop eating.

Exercise: You have to move; you must get physical to fully reap the potential that your body has to offer. Each element of this lifestyle is a building block for the next. If one area is lacking, all progress suffers. Get moving and start reaping the payoffs.

Journaling: the power of the almighty pen to paper is truly amazing. It allows you the gift of reflection, it gives you the power to monitor and adjust. Not to mention it provides you with the presence of self to be accountable to you, granting you the awareness of your actions.

Hydration: Water does a body good. Water maintains hydration, creates efficiency and provides energy for movement. Not to mention it wards off false hunger and creates the opportunity for greater rewards in the weight loss department.

These essential elements have been around the block for many, many years now and they continue to surface with every Tom, Dick or Deborah’s words of advice. They are the proven building blocks of how to live a lifestyle that promotes good health, living a healthy weight and overall greater wellness. Nothing worth it’s weight in gold comes with the snap of your fingertips; everything worth working toward takes diligence and perseverance.

Creating habits that promote your healthy, lighter ways of living provide you with a foundation in which to continually practice your chosen way of life and remind you on a regular basis what it takes to be successful on your weight loss journey. Each and every day you step out of bed you must make the conscious decision to take the steps to improve your lifestyle. No one can do this for you, it is your granted right to follow through, create a change in your chosen pathway and you will, there is no doubt in my mind, reap all the fantastic benefits of living a healthier, lighter way of life. Be willing to create the change and in turn you will alter your future for the rest of your life. Below you will find a wonderful array of tactics and everyday activities that you can involve yourself in that foster greater well-being and weight loss.

Eat breakfast. It is a well known fact in the weight loss department that women who feed their bodies when they rise are more successful at losing and keeping weight from returning.

Eat multiple times throughout your day. Feed your body small, healthy choices before it even realizes it is hungry. Avoid being starving at all costs.

Engage a workout buddy. Having a friend to travel with enhances your journey and keeps you motivated when you feel like throwing in the towel. Having a support system is wonderful.

Do not bring any item into your home that has a tendency, more often than not, to sabotage your weight loss goals. Go out and purchase it if you need, but leave it at the door.

Do not banish any food or drink items from your life. This approach is unrealistic and cannot be maintained for any duration of time. It sets you up for failure every single solitary time.

Have a plan. If you do not adequately prepare for success it will not arrive on your doorstep. Make a list, create a calendar and be sure to schedule yourself in. Plan to be a winner.

As you strive to follow the elements of success and create a new pattern of beneficial habits that enhance your possibilities in the weight loss department, it is important to remember to be kind to yourself along your journey. Taking the time to be pleased with your actions, capturing your feelings of pride in yourself and being able to step back and reward yourself for fulfilling your goals is such an important task to complete. We need to observe our own successful accomplishments and take the valuable opportunity to acknowledge our greatness in our own lives. You know what they say, everyone loves compliments and everybody adores to be commended for a job well done; this includes you too. Unfortunately more often than not we are so enthralled with praising others and mentioning their wonderful accomplishments that we forget our very own good doings and triumphs. Taking the time to reflect on your successes breeds continued further success down the road. Not to mention appreciating your achievements builds your self esteem and gives you the motivation to continue taking steps toward your goals.

There are a number of steps you can initiate when stopping to soak up the admirable accomplishments of little old you:

Self Gratitude Journal: purchase a small notepad, one that will fit into your pocketbook. Each time you do something that is a step in the direction of your goals, quickly pull out your notepad and jot it down. It can be just about anything that makes you feel good about whom you are, steps you take and the way in which you conduct yourself, your thoughts and your actions.

Review: choose a designated day of the week when you will review your Self Gratitude Journal and reread all the wonderful steps you are taking and the super ways in which you are doing the best you can to support your hopes and dreams. Please feel free to go through your Self Gratitude Journal at any time to support your visions for you and your life.

Treat Yourself: rewarding yourself in whatever manner you see fit is essential to your continued enthusiasm and eagerness as you carry on taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle. Positive reinforcement isn’t just for children and when we take the time to acknowledge ourselves for all that we do, amazing things can happen.

Filling yourself up with positive vibes and optimistic oomph will enhance your journey and keep you traveling down your pathway at a steady pace. Treat yourself admirably and bring your patience along for the ride. Being consistent on your journey toward a healthier way of living is a wonderful attribute to strive toward while seeking your greatest life. So make yourself proud today and do the right things at the right time and relish in your strength to control your destiny. Believe in yourself and create the wonders of your life.

Message from Deborah:

Nothing brings me greater pleasure in life than to assist women on their journey toward better health, enhanced fitness and molding a lifestyle to one that meets their expectations.  Coaching Lovely Ladies is a enormous passion of mine and I am completely honored to be able to assist each and every Lovely Lady on their travels of a happy, organized, active, balanced lifestyle.  I coach real women who are willing to take real action and reap real results.  Visit my website today and let me help you work toward your wellness goals.

Deborah
Women’s Health and Fitness Coach

www.personalweightlosscoach.com
debby@personalweightlosscoach.com
607.435.3990

Despite the fact that most of us know that regular exercise is good for us, the greater majority of American’s don’t do it on a regular basis, or at all.  Our general excuses are what?  “I hate it,” “It hurts,” “I’m injured,” “It’s boring,” or “I don’t have the money.”  The biggest excuse of all is “I don’t have the time.”

A quick review from the post “The Fundamentals of Changing Your Health”; there are 4 basic fundamentals to experiencing true health and wellness.  To refresh your memory they were 1, to minimize the use of drugs, other toxins in our life and surgery-which we spoke about in the post “Stop Poisoning Yourself!”; 2, to eat as best we can to ensure ourselves quality nutrition; found in last week’s post “Stop Focusing on Weigh Loss” 3, this weeks’ topic: to maximize oxygen and lean muscle through regular exercise; 4, to live a life of peace with positive and strong relationships; and my 5th, maximize nerve supply through chiropractic maintenance.  Remember, each of these fundamentals is important and they all work optimally together.

“The most important element you need to survive is oxygen.  If a cell’s environment contains lowered levels of oxygen, it will accumulate toxins, develop disease, and eventually cause early cell death.” (Maximized Living)  Your body needs proper amounts of oxygen in every cell to keep them happy and functioning properly and the simplest way of doing this is to just get up and move.  In other words, exercise, and remember, exercise produces muscle.  The more muscle you have and the less fat you have, the healthier you are.

Here are a few examples of what exercise does for you:

1. Exercise improves your mood.
2. Increases stress tolerance
3. Exercise combats chronic diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis. It can help you prevent — or manage — high blood pressure.
4. Regular physical activity boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol while decreasing triglycerides which together, keep blood flowing smoothly by lowering the buildup of plaques in your arteries.
5. Regular physical activity can help you prevent type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
6. Exercise helps you manage your weight by speeding up your metabolism. [This one's a no-brainer.]
7. It improves learning
8. Regular exercise slows and even reverses effects of aging
9. It raises energy levels
10. It can put the spark back into your sex life [Always a bonus]
11. It enhances and balances hormone production
12. Regular exercise aides in sleep
13. It eliminates toxins
14. Regular exercise also decreases the risk of injury to the muscles, joints and spine.

So, I say, enough with the excuses!
[You should read Excuses Begone! By Dr. Wayne Dyer.
Click here for more information.]

Read more on what surge training is here.

An example of a surge training program can be found here.

Here are a few additional websites to review for more interesting looks on exercise and finding something right for you.

Prevention Magazine [excellent site]

CBS News exercise personality quiz [found this interesting]

Beachbody.com [great site for support, programs and intense workouts]

Become Healthy Now [articles on types of exercises and their benefits]

My Personal Tip…Stop Focusing on Losing Weight!

So many of us are focused on losing weight and why not?  The obesity rate in America today is among the highest in the world.  According to the CDC, in 2008, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-two states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.  Should current trends continue, 75% of adults in the US are projected to be overweight and 41% obese by 2015. [read more on that here]

No wonder so many of us have loosing weight on our mind, we need to!

But what we really need to be focusing on is becoming healthier…total health, not just seeing a number on the scale we are happier with or being able to get into that dress or suit before the big event.

So, continuing the conversation from last week’s post “The Fundamentals of Changing Your Health”, there are 4 basic fundamentals to experiencing true health and wellness.  To refresh your memory they were 1, to minimize the use of drugs, other toxins in our life and surgery-which we spoke about last week in the post “Stop Poisoning Yourself!”; 2, to eat as best we can to ensure ourselves quality nutrition; 3, to maximize oxygen and lean muscle through regular exercise; 4, to live a life of peace with positive and strong relationships; and my 5th, maximize nerve supply through chiropractic maintenance.  Remember, each of these fundamentals is important and they all work optimally together.

Now, why am I telling you to stop focusing on losing weight?  Well, again, what we need to focus on is total wellness for the mind, body and spirit and when you do and are honestly living the lifestyle, the weight will just melt off, naturally.  I’m just a normal person that much like you, has struggled to be “in shape” or to feel as if I look as good as that sickening fit person across the room…and I’m sure that many of you, like me, can feel like a failure at times when I don’t meet those lofty dreams or feel guilty at times when I eat something that isn’t in my ‘diet’.  I got tired of feeling like a failure, like I didn’t have what it takes to be “thin” and “in shape”…and instead I focused on just being healthy…and you know what?  The weight finally just melted off.

Here is a bit of history on my constant struggle with weight loss.  As a young child I was thin and tall, but once I hit puberty and my hormones kicked in, my body started absorbing everything and storing it between my hips and knees.  From then on I have always been a bit “thick”.  My grandfather used to say I was a true healthy southern girl.  When I was dancing with a local prestigious ballet academy I was constantly being weighed and scorned for getting too “big”.  In my high school years, my dad used to call me “Thunder Thighs” [Yeah I know-great for my self esteem right?].  Now, I wasn’t fat, just thick…and I struggled with this all my days.  As a young woman I started trying the fad diets.  Nothing worked.  Atkins made me gain weight, the Special K diet just starved me and caused me to binge from time to time and the Weight Watchers was too confusing back then and let’s face it, just too much work keeping track of all the various points.  The only thing that I did find to make a difference a few years ago was Zig-Zag dieting; changing your calorie intake on a daily basis.  You can read more on what a Zig-Zag is exactly, just click here, and if you do a Google search for the term “zig zag diet” you will find many calculators and menu plans.  Just be sure to check a few sites, not just the first one you go to.  For me though, the zig-zag diet was good while I was working part time because I had time to prepare the meals but once I started working full time again I no longer had the time to measure out every item I was going to put into my mouth, little by little I drifted from the plan.

So, how did I take of 15 pounds this year in less than 3 months and have kept it off easily?  By following the fundamentals mentioned earlier and most importantly…by eating pure, organic, all-natural foods.  I did exercise a few times a week when I had the time, but what really did it for me was getting rid of all, and I mean ALL, processed, man touched foods.  If you read the “How I Removed the Poisons from My Home.” post, then you know how I started this process…if not, let me quickly elaborate on this now.

My husband and I began eating all organic, local produce and grass-fed beef, bison and free-range chicken.  Our meal menu did change slightly, but the main change was simply the ingredients.  Even our condiments, if we use any, are now homemade or organic products from the store.  We even took this a bit further and tried the Healing Diet.  Absolutely no sugars in the foods and drinks we consumed, good fats, and plenty of protein and we did a detoxification system (recommended by our doctor) called NeuroCleanse to help pull out additional toxins that had built up in our systems.  We followed this plan for two month and even though we were still eating as much as before, I had lost 15 pounds and my husband even more.  [He never weighs himself but the physical change in his body is obvious.]  To be perfectly honest we did this following the 80/20 rule.  We followed the “diet” very closely 80% of the time and allowed ourselves to eat or drink something not-so-good 20% of the time.  By the end of the two months we found that it was terribly easy and we didn’t crave the old bad foods any longer.  Once the two months finished, [the length of time on the Healing Diet is different for everyone] we slowly started to return natural sugars back into our meals.

We are now entering month eight of our big change and I find myself needing less and less to fill myself at meal time.  I also have the freedom in my schedule now to exercise everyday as much as I want and although I am walking 20+ miles and practicing about 3 hours of yoga a week and I am not loosing weight any longer my body is still changing and becoming leaner and stronger.  This tells me I may be at my optimal body weight.  I’m always getting compliments and my old clothes just fall right off.  I have dropped 4 pants sizes and am almost comfortably in the next size down.  It’s a great feeling.  Although the scale may not be at my dream number just yet, I feel fantastic and can’t wait to see where I am in another two months.

Try it for yourself.  Stop worrying about the weight loss.  Accept the fact that you are what you are, love yourself and remember that what is most important is that you live a long and healthy life, free of medications, pain and complications.  The best way to do that is by following all of the fundamentals-trust me, you won’t regret it!

Suggested Reading:

Where I started:

“Maximized Living Makeover” by Dr. Ben Lerner, Dr. Greg Loman, Dr. Charles Majors

The link above will tell you where you can find the book locally.

Where I get my motivation and additional ideas to add to the Maximized Makeover:

Inside-Out Wellness The Wisdom of Mind/Body Healing by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Christiane Northrup

Recipes for Health Bliss Using NatureFoods & Lifestyle Choices to Rejuvenate Your Body & Life by Susan Smith Jones

Lighten Up! The Authentic and Fun Way to Lose Your Weight and Your Worries by Loretta LaRoche

I find that many people in the world around me tend to focus on only one area to improve their health and claim they are “healthy”…most commonly it’s nutrition.  The second most common is by doing some form of regular exercise but not changing many of their eating or lifestyle habits.  How many of you fit into one of these two categories?  Now, how many of you are taking prescription drugs or still smoke?  Yes it is important to eat well, but if you ignore the other fundamentals your body will not assimilate the good food that you have eaten.  It’s nice to be in great physical shape and have a good looking body, if the other fundamentals are ignored…as it has been said…you’ll look good in your coffin but can still suffer from many ailments that affect most couch potatoes.

If you wish for your body to function and heal normally, if you wish to lead a long, joyful, fulfilling life, follow these fundamentals.  The fundamentals were introduced and explained to me simply and thoroughly in the book “Maximized Living Makeover” by doctors Ben Lerner, Greg Loman, and Charles Majors, and are referred to as “The 5 Essentials”.  Each of these fundamentals is necessary to live the full, healthy life that you were intended to live.  You need to practice these fundamentals if nothing else to improve your health by keeping the cells in your body in top shape and replicating normally for optimal body function.

So, What are the basic Fundamentals?

#1 Minimize the use of drugs, other toxins and surgery… Toxins and chemicals found, for example, in medications and refined foods affect hormone balance and glandular function.  We all know that you die or get really sick from being poisoned. This includes exposure to chemicals and carcinogens found in medications, foods, unhealthy environments, and household cleaning products.

#2 Maximize quality nutrition… Diets high in carbohydrates leave a constant level of insulin in the system, which lowers serotonin levels and causes inflammation. Imbalances in omega-3 and omega-6 ratios have been found to be the first factor to address regarding depression, according to professors at Harvard and Oxford universities.  If your pH balance is off it can lead to inflammation.  Stimulants such a sugars, artificial additives negatively affect brain function.  Nutrient deficiency can be solved by the right foods, foods robust in soluble fiber, and supplements.

#3 Maximize oxygen and lean muscle… Inactivity and lack of “intentional” exercise has many damaging effects on body function and mental health.  Staying active, getting at least 30 mins of “intentional” exercise a day will greatly improve fat to muscle ratios.  Movement creates the necessary intake of oxygen. The movement is what transports the oxygen-rich blood through your body, and you become more efficient at the circulation, absorption, and storage of this oxygen. When this happens, your cells have the oxygen they need to survive and live in health. With a sedentary lifestyle, you’re literally choking yourself to death. Fat-to-muscle ratio imbalance: How much fat you have in comparison to lean muscle will be a determining factor in organ function and the development of many diseases and disorders.

#4 Maximize peace and strong relationships… Increase in stress hormones creates everything from obesity and high blood pressure to high cholesterol, decreased libido, and aging. Peace is a vital health and longevity necessity in addition to making sure you’re not miserable.

*A 5^th Fundamental  and number two of the “Essentials” that I practice is ….Maximize nerve supply.  Not everyone agrees with Chiropractry but I do.  The central nervous system is your brain and spinal cord. This system is the central computer and master control system of the entire body. If there is disturbance or interference with CNS function, everything breaks down. Emotional stress is one factor that affects, or interferes with, your CNS function. Also, misalignment of the spinal column directly affects and even damages long-term nervous system function.

This is a topic that will return to this site often.  We’ll soon discuss how to put these fundamentals to work on a daily basis.  This is not a “fad”.  This is your life.  In the meantime you can read more at www.maximizedlivinghealthsite.com