Creating the body you want with new choices.

This is a great article by Paige Burkes and you can see more on her website 

Abusing our bodies.  How do you feel about your body?  How does your body feel?
It’s amazing how disconnected we are from our bodies even though our bodies are what physically get us through our days.  Our minds take over telling us that we must be productive – get things done!  It’s also what society tells us is important.  We are the things we accomplish.

It’s time we start breaking those rules, standards, expectations.  Honestly, we can’t accomplish much if our bodies aren't properly cared for.  And you know this but you continue to put caring for yourself off to when you “have the time.”  You stay up late watching TV or working, cutting into the precious hours of sleep that you know you need.

You have dessert for breakfast with the big coffee drinks (have you checked the sugar and calorie content in those things?) and drink more coffee and each more carbs and sugar throughout the day to keep you going.  Gotta be productive, right?  You grab whatever is fast and convenient because you don’t “have” the time to think about something healthier.  You actually have the time.  You don’t choose to take it.

You skip your workout because you’ve got some pending deadline or you’re so tired that you just don’t feel like it.  And where does that leave you?  Tired, spent, fuzzy headed, stressed, anxious, weak.  There’s a much better way and you know it.  You hear about how to live a healthier lifestyle all the time.  So why aren’t we all choosing this lifestyle?

Because it’s hard to stop and be still and listen to what’s really going on inside of us.  Sometimes it’s downright painful.  It’s so much easier to gloss over the tough stuff inside with the easy stuff outside.
My question to you is:  Do you want to feel this way for the rest of your life?  That’s a long time.  And your life is all you have.

A powerful 10 minutes.  Instead of making New Year’s resolutions that you’ll never keep for more than a couple weeks or saying that you’ll change your ways – promise! -  or going on yet another diet, how about just sitting still for 10 minutes every day?

At first 10 minutes will be painful.  Start with one or two if that’s the case and build up slowly over time.
Commit to devoting 10 minutes each day for you.  You’re so worth it.  And what do you do during those 10 minutes?  Nothing but breathe.

Don’t do anything.  Just be.  And breathe.  Do a body scan and notice the sensations in every part of your body.  Notice your thoughts.  Don’t judge them or yourself for having them.  How do you feel in the moment?  Where in your body do you feel that feeling?

Whatever you’re experiencing in the moment - experience it fully with an inquisitive mind, a beginner’s mind.  No judgment.  No attachment.  You are not your thoughts.  You are not your emotions or feelings.
All of these things are temporary.  They come and go.  You are still as they come and go.

If you’re experiencing something painful, stay with it.  It has something very important to tell you.  Treat the pain, whether it’s physical or emotional, as another person or being and have a conversation with it.  Be inquisitive and light.  Ask it why it’s there.  Ask it what message it has for you.  Take whatever message you receive to heart.

All of this may seem totally hokey and woo-woo to some of you but, trust me, it works.  This is one way to practice mindfulness.  Understanding choices.  Now what does any of this have to do with having a healthier body?

It’s all about the choices we make in every second of every day and night.

It takes mindfulness to understand why we make the choices we do.  Without getting to the core of a problem (the driver of our choices), anything we do only treats the symptoms and the problem will rear its ugly head again and again.  This is actually what anti-depressants and anti-biotics do and doctors prescribe them over and over because it’s not their job to get to the heart of the problem.
It’s our job.

Do you overeat and remain overweight because you experienced some kind of hurt or abuse and now you can’t bear to allow others to be close to you so you use the weight to keep yourself unattractive?  Are you driven to work crazy hours, sacrificing exercise and sleep, because of an internal belief that you’re not good enough and, no matter what you do, you’ll never be good enough but you push yourself harder and harder anyway?

Or do you over-exercise for the same reasons?

Do you have a big enough “why” to compel you to make the changes you say you want to make?  Without understanding your why and keeping it front and center, without understanding why you make the choices you do, lasting change is almost impossible.  Implementing mindfulness.

If you decide that you want to lose weight, before making any changes, start to notice how you feel when you make the choice of what to put in your mouth throughout your day.  Why did you choose what you chose?  Before you take the next bite, ask yourself if you really want it.  How will it make you feel in an hour or the next day?

If you want to start a regular exercise program, start to notice how you feel when you wake up and at other times during the day.  Could you motivate yourself to even the easiest of exercises?  If not, why not?  If you can, then do that exercise.  Notice how you feel with either choice.

One of the keys to mindfulness is to notice things without judging them.  Don’t beat yourself up for not being able to live up to what others think you should do.  Or what you think others think you should do.
It’s not going to work for everyone to get up early, exercise for an hour, eat a big, healthy breakfast and hit the day running.

I started experimenting with my day and found that I feel much better when I exercise around 1pm or 2pm in the afternoon instead of 5am like I did for years.  I found that I’m not very hungry until later in the morning and I only need about half of what I had been eating.  I noticed how full I felt after eating only half of my bowl of oatmeal.

At the tender age of 44 I’m finally learning how to not eat everything on my plate like I was made to do as a child.  It actually took my husband pointing it out to me for me to realize I was doing it.  Thankfully I’ve been blessed with a healthy metabolism.  Simple steps.

Mindfulness is a practice.  Like any practice, at first we have to remind ourselves to practice the practice.
Consider setting an hourly timer on your phone (there are a variety of mindfulness apps out there).  Or put a ring on a finger that you don’t normally wear it on.  Whenever those things capture your attention, remember to be mindful of your thoughts, emotions and actions in the moment.

How do you want your body to look and feel?  Are your moment-to-moment to choices supporting that vision?  Make your health your choice, not your obligation.

Don't make another New Years Resolution knowing you will not keep it.  Contact me if you want to make a lifestyle change.  You will not regret it.

Set up one-on-one time

Create opportunities to interact one on one time with your boss, your children, your spouse, your friends, and your employees.  When you listen, you learn, which opens the door to creative solutions and mutual trust.

As business people we are familiar with the one on one, we meet up with a fellow business person to get to know them just a little bit better.  We should do that with people more often in our personal lives too.  Call up a neighbor and go out for coffee and get to know each other outside of the neighborhood, you would be surprised how much you can learn about each other.

Ask your boss or co workers out for a cup of tea and try to talk about anything other than work.  Make an date with your children and go to the park for a couple hours and loosen up, have fun.

Make a date with your spouse and do something or go somewhere you have done or been before.  Listen to them when other's are around and talking about things or places they have experienced and if your spouse comments, take a mental note and surprise them at a later time.

It really is easy to add some interest to the relationships around you, give it a try.

Way To Stop The Silent Killer From Striking

By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES
Now that you know about the new SILENT KILLER lurking in the shadows and around every corner of YOUR body, next you need to learn ways to STOP this KILLER from destroying your cells.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to understand how different ways of fighting INFLAMMATION can cost you $$$.  Give me a minute to explain.  To fight inflammation and stop it in its tracks, you need to inflammatory fighting ingredients (YOUR “MISSILES”) and plenty of cash in your RESERVE.

It’s going to be a LONG battle!  There are three methods to fighting inflammation.

1. Pain relievers
2. Corticosteroids
3. All-natural alternatives, like fruits and vegetables!  

The only problem: pain relievers and Corticosteroids can be taxing to YOUR body, especially YOUR kidneys and liver, and the amount of fruits and vegetables you need PER DAY is enormous!

• NSAIDs

NSAID stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.  Most people experience an ache or pain time and again, and pop one of these.  They also fight fevers and can reduce swelling in injured areas.

Typically, you pick up this drug to stop the pain and reduce the inflammation.
NSAIDs block the production of prostaglandins, which are mediators for many physiological functions in YOUR body.  The problem with blocking these important regulators is that NSAIDs block ALL production of prostaglandins in the body.

This may disrupt normal functions of important organs, like the lining of the intestines and stomach.
The responsibilities of Prostaglandins are to protect the stomach and intestinal lining, control blood pressure, regulate pain and inflammation, and regulate dilation and constriction of veins and arteries.

When prostaglandins are blocked, DAMAGE may occur to the STOMACH lining and GASTROINTESTINAL lining, leading to bleeding.

High doses of NSAIDs can also lead to the release of creatinine from the kidneys, which may be an indicator of RENAL FAILURE.  Whatever you put in the body, your liver has to process it.  The liver is a big sac of blood, full of enzymes and other cells which process and filter the blood.

NSAIDS, therefore, need to move through the liver, and get processed just like everything else!

Too much NSAIDs cause the liver to work overtime, which may result in increased liver functions.

Our bodies just do not want to work that hard to fight INFLAMMATION.

But wait…..there’s one more inflammatory medication we need to talk about.

• Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids act very similar to NSAIDs, but create a WAR ZONE in YOUR body.  They are effective at reducing inflammation, but there is a COST to this medication.

Diabetic patients can see BLOOD SUGAR skyrocket, and non-diabetics may see INCREASED weight and BLOATING.

Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory medications used in severe inflammatory cases, such as arthritis and asthma, or in diseases where you do not produce enough adrenaline.  Adrenaline is secreted by adrenal glands, which are found on top of your kidneys.

Corticosteroids increase the level of adrenaline already circulating in the body.

This is WAY above the normal level you usually secrete.   Extra adrenaline quiets inflammation, especially inflammation you may experience with asthma, severe arthritis, or other chronic inflammatory diseases.

Plus…

Corticosteroids suppress the immune system.    This shuts off white blood and Killer cells which would normally attack foreign bodies.  But suppressing the IMMUNE SYSTEM may lead to SICKNESS!

Other side effects of Corticosteroids MAY include:

• Elevated pressure in the eyes

• Fluid retention causing swelling in the lower legs (BLOATING)

• Increased blood pressure

• Mood swings

• WEIGHT GAIN, with FAT DEPOSITS in your ABDOMEN, FACE, and BACK of your NECK
The other weapon comes in a very natural state and form!

• Fruits And Vegetables

Fruits, vegetables, and other super foods may have positive effects on INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES in the body.  However, here is where it gets interesting.

Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which are great for maintaining health and wellness.  Fruits and vegetables have been proven time and time again to reduce inflammation due to the high nutrient content and extra vitamins and minerals.

But how much do you need in order to fight inflammation?  Good question!  The answer will SHOCK you, though!

Here is the breakdown of nutrients and super foods you would have to eat EVERY DAY to fight off inflammation and the associated damage it may cause.

You would have to eat:

• 1 apple ($1 worth)

• 4-6 cups blueberries ($7-$8 worth)

• 2 to 3 pounds of aloe ($5 worth)

• 4 cups of yogurt ($5 worth)

• High quality mushrooms ($3-$4 worth)

• Oatmeal ($2 worth)

• Cinnamon ($2.50 worth)

• And other fruits and vegetables ($2 worth)

So you are looking at A LOT of FOOD and a high PRICE TAG - anywhere between $28 to $30 dollars PER DAY!

This is just the nutrition you need to FIGHT INFLAMMATION, without talking about protein, carbohydrates, and fats!  Add this to your daily nutrition, and you can almost guarantee your calories will go up, which may INCREASE your weight as well.Is There A Better Way?The use of NSAIDs and Corticosteroids is a practice which many of us are familiar with.

Mainstream nutrition and the incorporation of super foods have also gained a tremendous amount of publicity in recent times in reducing INFLAMMATION, and providing your body with plenty of vitamins and minerals to keep it healthy!

Still, there has got to be an EASIER WAY to reduce inflammation and protect our cells from DAMAGE.

Could there be…?  visit Prograde and read further

EASIER WEIGHT LOSS! “Lower Body Weight, Smaller Stomach, Lower Hip Size”!

Do you know anyone who just can't make it through the day without pain?  Now you can ‘upgrade” your Omega-3 rich Fish Oil capsules to ones that are proven 47 times more effective for your health …. and for no additional cost!

        As you know, leading natural health experts recommend everyone should be taking Fish Oil. The main reason is the Omega 3 antioxidants in it reduce health-killing free radicals in your body.

        But this breaking new research proves you should upgrade from your regular fish oil because a new kind works much better. It gives you more of the health benefits you want most – now and in the future.

        The news is that Krill Fish Oil has proven far superior to regular Fish Oil for your health. In fact, a recent McGill University study by R.Bunea, M.D., K. Farrah, M.D. and L. Deutsch, M.D. showed:

 Good Cholesterol rose 10 times more than with regular fish oil. (HDL 44% vs. 4.2%)

 Bad Cholesterol dropped 16 times more than with regular fish oil. (LDL 32% vs. 2%)

 PAIN reduced 3 times more in only seven days than with regular fish oil (-30 vs. -10; study at Western Ontario and McMaster University WOMAC scores)

Here are more proven clinical study results …

 FASTER and EASIER WEIGHT LOSS by improved glucose metabolism and stabilization of blood sugar levels and start an exercise program

 BETTER HEART HEALTH by reducing inflammation

 Prevention of blood clots and high blood pressure that lead to heart attack and stroke

 Reduced risk of death from heart problems. “It reduces the risk of forming a blood clot – a major factor in heart attacks” write authors Dr. Frank Ryan and Dr Reg Saynor, who        turned 80 earlier this year, looking barely a day over 50 – a fact he credits to this SuperFood supplement!

 Decreased joint pain

 Improves mood and provides relief of PMS symptoms for women

        As you can plainly see, you get a lot more health benefits to make you feel and look your best, relieve your health problems naturally, and help prevent serious illnesses.

        Prograde ® EFA Icon Krill Fish Oil ™ is a revolutionary and quantum improvement for your health.

        You see, the fish or crustracean we use to get our fish oil from is NOT the cheap stuff, but is Krill oil. Krill fish oil is very different than regular fish oil. If you haven’t heard of Krill before, its because its very hard to get. Krill are small crustaceans found in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Ocean. The extraction of oil from Krill is a relatively new technology.

        Prograde ® EFA Icon Krill Fish Oil ™ is much better for your health than regular Fish Oil for many reasons including …

        #1. The antioxidant power is 297 times greater than vitamin A or E, and 47 times greater than regular fish oil! Regular fish oil is very low in antioxidant content.  This is measured by the standard ORAC value.

        #2. Its most powerful antioxidant effects are produced by astaxanthin which is NOT contained in regular fish oil . It readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, which helps to both protect and stimulate the brain for a better mood, better memory and clearer thinking.

        #3. This is important: Krill Oil contains phospholipids which form a microscopic barrier that helps cells filter out toxins and free radical damage that can result in serious illnesses. Regular fish oil does NOT contain this.

        #4. It has 500% better absorption by your body than regular fish oil, according to U.S. Government National Institutes Of Health.

        #5. There is NO fishy aftertaste or digestion problems. No “fish burps”, or acid reflux that often occur with regular fish oil.

        And if all that isn’t enough to get you to upgrade now, get this …

        That’s right! A high percent of regular fish oil is highly contaminated with toxins like mercury, lead, arsenic, PCB’s, the radioactive strontium and other pollutants from industrial waste in the water.

        In fact, The FDA and EPA have issued health alerts warning against eating certain fish for young children, women who are pregnant (or may become pregnant) and for nursing mothers. According to the Mercury Policy Project, a 132 pound woman who eats 12 ounces of canned tuna a week could exceed the EPA’s “safe limit” by 350%!

        Is farm-raised fish is a healthier option? No. These fish farms use hormones, chemicals and antibiotics so farms can earn more profit, and the fish can still have mercury and poisonous PCBs.

        On the other hand, KRILL are tiny deepwater crustaceans at the very bottom of the food chain and completely free of unhealthy toxins and pollution commonly found in regular fish oil.
        Want even more proof? Doctors in Japan have already switched their patients from regular fish oil to krill oil. The health benefits reported have been amazing!

Click here for 13% off and use coupon EFA13 at checkout.

Go Nuts! One of nature's superfoods comes out of its shell.

By Beth Howard AARP

Almonds used to get all the accolades in the nut family.  Now research shows that nuts of all kinds are some of nature's top sources of disease-fighting antioxidants, protein, fiber, and mono-and polyunsaturated oils.

Need evidence?  Data from the University of Toronto show that replacing 50 grams of carbs (about a muffin's worth) in your diet with 2.5 ounces of nuts each day helps control blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes.  Mice that ate a walnut-rich diet (the equivalent of 2 ounces daily in humans) were half as likely to develop breast cancer as those that didn't eat nuts, according to another study.  And when researchers recently pooed the results of 25 clinical trials, they found that eating 2.4 ounces of any kind of nuts a day lowered "bad" LDL cholesterol by up to 7 percent and total cholesterol by up to 5 percent.  Other studies have shown that people who eat several servings of nuts a week slash their cardiovascular risks by up to 74 percent, compared with those who eat nuts less than once a week.

If you're worried about nuts high fat content, don't be.  Women who consumed two or more nut servings per week had a slightly lower risk of obesity than those who ate nuts less frequently or not at all, the long running Nurses' Health Study from the Harvard School of Public Health recently discovered.

"Nuts increase satiety," explains Joan Salge Blake, a registered dietitian and clinical associate professor in nutrition at Boston University.  "That helps your meals go a little longer, so you don't snack as often."

Just don't eat too many.  Stick to a daily serving-enough to fill only the palm of your hand.

What's in a Nut?  They are high in calories and fat, but they offer some significant health benefits.
Walnuts - 185 per ounce (14 nut halves) and lowers breast cancer risk
Sunflower seeds - 165 per ounce (about 1/4 cup) and lowers LDL cholesterol
Almonds - 169 claories per ounce (22 nuts) and reduces insulin resistance and LDL cholesterol
Peanuts - 166 calories per ounce (25-28 nuts) helps control diabetes and reduces "bad" LDL cholesterol
Macadamia nuts - 204 calories per ounce (10-12 nuts) and lowers LDL cholesterol
Pecans - 196 calories per ounce (19 nut halves) and lowers LDL cholesterol
Pistachios - 161calories per ounce (49 nuts) may help reduce lung cancer risk and improves HDL

What nuts do you have in your kitchen?  I have pine nuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts right now and now I see I have to go nut shopping, I am a little low.
Need help shopping or with meal plans, contact Perfect Fit

For the holiday's, give yourself gifts that cost nothing.

By Dr's. Kay Judge and Maxine Barish-Wreden

Strive to keep on gifting yourself all year.  It's that time of year again when most of us get into that revved-up shopping mode, trying to get or make that perfect gift for everyone on our list.  For us to be able to truly give to others, we first have to fill our own well, so this year we invite you to think about gifting from a different point of view:

• Give yourself the gift of courage.  When you are feeling down or discouraged, or maybe lonely or not living up to your own holiday expectations, muster up the courage to reach out, call a trusted friend and share your feelings.  It is in the sharing of our own imperfections, that we learn to cultivate self-acceptance and compassion.  And the more we practice this skill, the better we get at it, and the closer we feel to the people around us.
• Give yourself the gift of authenticity.  If this were the last holiday season you were ever going to celebrate, what would you do with your time and your money?  Taking action by living from our authentic selves is enlivening and life-enhancing.
• Give yourself the gift of generosity.  Volunteer your time with and organization that reflects your deepest values.  When we give to others who have less than we do, or who may be struggling to get their feet on the ground, we get to see ourselves as a contribution.  we also get to connect humanity that we share with all people.
• Give yourself the gift of acknowledgment.  pay attention to the times when you act from your heart, with love and kindness and give yourself an appreciative hug.  
• Give yourself the gift of time.  Schedule small, joyful activities on your calendar, like sharing a glass of wine with your best friend, and be present to how you feel when you stop to connect with someone that you love.
• Give yourself the gift of patience.  Trust that you are exactly where you need to be, that you are doing the best that you can, and that everything that you truly need will show up at the perfect time.
• Give yourself the gift of laughter.  A great time to do this is when your neighbor rings your doorbell and your house is a wreck.  Learning to laugh at ourselves and our imperfections is a great way to experience the perfection of life exactly as it is right now.
• Give yourself the gift of gratitude.  By practicing gratitude, by acknowledging the abundance in our lives every day, we balance our tendency toward scarcity with the experience of being cared for and supported.  When we hold the space for goodness, when we train ourselves to see goodness in the world, it has the habit of showing up for us.  When we cultivate these qualities in ourselves - courage, compassion, authenticity, generosity, laughter, gratitude or whatever qualities call to you - we not only tend to feel better physically and emotionally, but we also see these qualities in those around us.  It's good medicine, not only now, but all through the year.

Give yourself the gift of health visit Power By Choice Blog
Power By Choice gift cards are available now, buy $100 get $50 bonus and can be used on all regularly priced services. 

Mood and Food

By Holly St Lifer AARP

Can't lose weight?  You personality may be to blame.  Your character may affect your weight as much as your diet does, according to a new National Institute on Aging study.  Researchers found that impulsive people weigh about 22 pounds more than those who are cautious.  Antagonistic folks gained 10 pounds more over their lifetime than did their friendlier counterparts (angry people tend to binge eat, previous studies have reported).  those who are conscientious weigh the least: about 8 pounds less than those who are not as dutiful.  "While you can't change your personality, you can change your eating behavior based on what you know about your personality," says lead researcher Angelina R. Sutin, Ph.D. "So impulsive individuals might eat less if they plan their meals in advance."

I know when working with clients that their mood affects not only their eating habits, but their coping habits, exercise habits and stress reducing methods.  We can use this study as yet another excuse to say SEE its not my fault or we can take charge of our habits.  Seek out the help of professionals such as Nutritionist, Dietitian, Certified Personal Trainer to guide you.