Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Burn More Fat by Eating Fat

How's that low fat diet working for you?  You're probably not really on one, but all of the "No Fat" packing gets your attention.  Maybe it's time to turn that idea on its head.  If you take the healthy fat out of your diet, what are you replacing it with?  Artificial this and that?  Have you thought about what good fat does for you?  More positive than you realize...  Don't be stupid about it.  You've got to know good fat from bad fat.  And you have to know when enough is enough.  But just maybe you can have good fat in your diet, enjoy the flavor of your food again and realize all kinds of benefits.

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Burn More Fat by Eating Fat
Think about it… Burn More Fat by Eating Fat.
Hello… I know you mouth just dropped, but it’s true. The late 80’s brought on the onset of the low fat diet, and it has become a yo-yo of truths and myths since. Manufacturers marketed low-fat and no-fat everything, and consumers responded by chowing down. This was so wrong on all levels. Science has shown that this was stripping our bodies of a much-needed nutrients, and really helped launch the movement of increased obesity. The reason this had an impact on obesity is that food manufacturers replaced fat with loads of sugar, salt, artificial everything, corn syrup, and nutrient deficient additives. Through the years of this yo-yo, science has come out on top. Science has shown us that you will burn more fat by eating fat, creating a leaner and slimmer body.
Hold on… Fat can help us lose weight and maintain our weight? YES!
Fat doesn’t make us fat? Not when you eat the right kind of fats in the right portions. When you do this your body may actually burn more fat.
Fat is not something to avoid. Fat is essential for normal growth and development. Healthy dietary fats help with energy, protects your organs, maintains cell membranes, it helps the body absorb and process nutrients more efficiently, and it helps the body burn fat. Science has shown that our bodies should have a third of our daily calories come from healthy dietary fats.

Burn More Fat by Eating Fat

Of course deep-fried hot dog, pizza, French fries, potato chips, and hamburgers are not examples of healthy fats. These foods will not create trim body and have been part of the plague of obesity and disease.
The fats you should eat, especially if you want to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight should come from unsaturated sources. These monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fats come from foods like fish, seeds, nuts, leafy vegetables, olive oil, coconut oil, hummus, and avocados. Plus, these foods are packed with a ton nutrients.
If we take a moment to just look at an avocado. It has great benefits and fat burning potential. These nutritional hand grenades have an explosive impact on our diets. They’re infused with the key nutrients and the biggest benefit: Healthy Fat.
Check out how an avocado can really enhance your diet. Avocado toast is a bite of goodness gives you a punch of three macro-nutrients that will give you a kick of energy. You get carbohydrates, protein, and fat. A gram of fat packs more than twice as much energy than a gram of carbs or protein gives you. So this little healthy fat addition to your toast helps revs up your calorie burning furnace because the fat helps fuel the calorie burning process which helps maintain your metabolism. Yes, it takes healthy new fat to burn off the old unhealthy belly, thighs, or butt fat.
Another great idea is to put an egg into the middle of the avocado where the seed normally sits. This will give you a good source of protein and fat. Besides protein keeping you fuller longer, so does healthy fats. So another benefit of the healthy fat is that it stays in the digestive system longer than other nutrients which in turn can help to stabilize blood sugar levels as well.
So now that you know that you will Burn More Fat by Eating Fat, let’s touch on how healthy fats also help you Builds Muscle, and process other nutrients more efficiently.
Healthy fats incorporated into a healthy portioned nutrition plan along with an effective exercise program will have you increasing muscle. Again increasing muscle mass is vital to increasing metabolism and burning calories while at rest and when exercising. A metabolic study released in 2011 examined the adults ages 25 to 45 that increased their healthy fat consumption had higher protein concentrations and increased size of muscular cells versus the group that had lower levels of healthy fat intake. This also proved that healthy fat would help prevent muscle mass loss due to aging.
As for nutrient processing, many nutrients including vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. This means that the body cannot absorb these nutrients without fat. If you cannot absorb nutrients properly your body can become nutrient deficient. These deficiencies may bring on dry skin, hair loss, muscle cramps and pains, blindness, brittle bones, and abnormal blood clotting, just to name a few. Vitamins are also key to maintaining energy, focus, and muscular health, all of which contribute to maintaining a healthy weight.
Embrace the fact that fat is essential to a healthy diet. Remember to make a third of your daily calories coming from healthy fat so you can begin to establish some healthy changes.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Fitness and Weight Loss Success

How, exactly, do you create fitness and weight loss success?  Where do you start?  What do you need to take into consideration?  And how does Zig Ziglar fit into this?

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How are you creating your fitness and weight loss success?
Zig Ziglar once said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” Yes, Zig Ziglar was talking about business when he said this, but honestly it really pertains to anything in life… Including your fitness and weight loss goals. We all know that his statement is right.
By nature, humans gravitate toward ease and comfort. This is how we are designed. We are designed to survive and make survival as easy and comfortable as possible. The thing about this is that back in the time of living in caves and then to farms, we still had to move and be physical despite our human nature for ease and comfort. We had no choice it was a part of survival. Well, now days we have so much knowledge, science, and developments that ease and comfort comes to use easily. Which is a good thing, but it has also created a down side. That down side is weight gain, poor nutrition, low levels of fitness, etc. We all know we need to be physical and that our bodies are designed to move, yet one day flows into the next, and the majority of people don’t get around to actually moving regularly.
Though people have good intentions, the majority of us tend to be very vague in really establishing any goals for fitness and/or weight loss. When we have these vague ideas it is nearly impossible to focus on and aim for fitness and weight loss success, when those goals are continual moving targets.

Fitness and Weight Loss Success

Are your goals for fitness and weight loss success moving targets? Do you want have a healthier nutrition plan, or lose some winter weight? Maybe you want to establish a routine of consistent daily exercise and stick with a workout program.
The two things that need to be your focus when creating fitness and weight loss success is a steady target and to begin to create momentum.
Setting specific goals will make your good intentions become a target that you can actually hit. You may have the intention of wanting to lose some weight, feel a little better, make a changes with your nutrition, but without clearly defined goals and methods, you can’t focus nor will any goal be obtained.
The way to hon in and hit the bull’s eye is to define your goals and write them down. Here are a few examples?
  • Exactly how much weight do you want to lose overall?
  • What kind of changes do you need to make in your nutrition to make your overall goal happen?
  • How many days per week do you need to exercise to improve your fitness levels and create a calorie deficit for weight loss?
  • Which article(s) of clothing do you wish to wear again?
  • How much weight would you like to lift while strength training?
  • What exercises do you want to be able to do that you cannot do now?
When you define what you want to accomplish and where you want to end up, you are much more likely to be able to get there. Of course once those things are established you actually begin to take action and start moving toward your goals. Remember the other part besides goals is momentum. When you act upon your goals, the action begins to create your momentum.
Creating momentum will have you reaching your goals!
Anyone who is successful will tell you that once the momentum started kicking in they felt like nothing could stop them. They will also tell you even if they had a setback, the momentum made it easier to jump back on track.
In the book, “Eat that Frog” by Brian Tracy he discusses the Momentum Principle of Success. Again referencing a book that most look at for business, but it does carry over into everyday life. His Momentum Principle of Success states it may take tremendous amounts of energy at first to overcome the inertia of getting started, but once you get going it takes far less energy to keep going. These are definitely words of wisdom.
For most people the hardest part of anything is getting started. That first day of doing anything different, or differently is difficult. So just be real… The first experience of bypassing an unhealthy treat in favor of a food that will make your body healthier, and give you more energy can be daunting. It isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t fun. You have to create a new lifestyle. That is difficult at first, and that is where you need to forge ahead and create that momentum.
So how do you get that momentum going? How do you start moving? Accountability is the answer! Having someone else involved in your efforts. This is probably the most important factor that can make or break your success. It is hard to change lifelong habits when you are on your own. You need the right nutrition, the right fitness, and when trying to learn that and find the motivation your efforts may fall flat unless you have a coach and involve others in your efforts. This reason is why the number one fitness infomercial company Beachbody has created such long lasting success for their customers. They offer people the fitness, nutrition and the support from a FREE Coach all in one when a customer purchases a Challenge Pack. It puts it all together.
Besides getting a challenge pack, what are other ways you can create that success. Set deadlines, make commitments to others or a coach, and enter contests. The more external motivation that you have the easier it is to move forward even with the toughest temptations. Once you get started, you will find the momentum principle kicking in to full gear, and it becomes easier and easier to keep going.
So Start NOW!
Set your goals, and create your momentum so you can hit the bull’s eye of your target. Make your goals specific, set deadlines, get the right fitness program, the right nutrition program, and support. Success is within your reach. You can do this!

Monday, May 23, 2016

Adrenal Fatigue Is Real… But You Can Heal It!

Adrenal fatigue.  Do you even know what that is?  How about this...if you are you stressed, not eating well, not sleeping well, not getting enough exercise...you are putting a ton of  pressure on your adrenal system.  If you don't care about that, you know who does?  Your spouse and friends - everyone that has to put up with your moods and hormones that are effected by your adrenal system.  You CAN do something about it...

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Adrenal Fatigue Is Real… But You Can Heal It!

Adrenal fatigue is estimated to affect around 80% of people in the world! Adrenal fatigue is commonly caused by chronic stress, poor nutrition, and an overall unhealthy lifestyle. Adrenal Fatigue affects the body’s ability to properly recover and recuperate from from physical, mental or emotional stresses.
Adrenal Fatigue is Real… But You Can Heal It. Whether you have adrenal fatigue for a short time, or it has become a chronic condition it can be healed. Most of us have struggled with adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives and may have not even known it.
Adrenal Fatigue Symptoms may include:
• Body aches, muscle tension, muscle weakness, bone loss
• Inflammation in joints and muscles
• Trouble concentrating or racing thoughts
• Moodiness and irritability
• Always tired, morning fatigue or trouble waking up
• Feeling overwhelmed, depression
• Fatigue
• Decreased libido
• Difficulty sleeping
• Poor focus
• Hormone imbalance
• Cravings for sugar, sweets, and salty foods
• Increased allergies
• Hair loss
• Weight gain
• Inability to tolerate high-carb/potassium foods unless paired with fat and protein
Adrenal fatigue is a condition when the body and adrenal glands cannot keep up with high levels of daily stress. Wellness doctors and practitioners believe that an episode of acute stress or prolonged, chronic stress can cause adrenal glands to become overloaded and ineffective… Adrenal Fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue can be caused by:
• Stressful experiences (i.e. death, losing a job, divorce, surgery, etc.)
• Exposure to environmental toxins and pollution
• Prolonged stress due to financial hardship, bad relationships or work environment, and situations that can cause prolonged helplessness
• Negative thinking, or emotional trauma
• Continued Lack of sleep (less than 6 hours per night)
• Poor Nutrition
• Lack of daily exercise
Now that you know some what causes adrenal fatigue and some of the symptoms let’s talk about the fact that Adrenal Fatigue is Real… But You Can Heal It. To know how to heal adrenal fatigue you need to have an understanding of what the adrenal glands do. When you know what they do you will then be able to see how you can overcome adrenal fatigue in a few simple steps.
What are the Adrenal Glands?
Your adrenal glands are two thumb-sized organs that sit above your kidneys and are part of the endocrine (hormone) system. The adrenal glands are also known as the suprarenal glands. They aid in producing over 50 hormones that drive almost every function in our bodies. So they are very important to our health as many of the functions they drive are essential for life.
Hormones directly or indirectly affect every function, organ and tissue or our bodies. They react in our bodies and attempt to maintain an intricate and highly sensitive level of balance as they work directly with the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. This system is known as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis).
Since the adrenal glands have a very important role within the body and how it functions, they particularly play a huge role in stress responses. When your brain registers a threat (emotional, mental or physical) the adrenal glands release adrenaline hormones to help you react to the threat (fight-or-flight). This rushes blood to the brain, heart and muscles. The adrenal then releases corticosteroids to dampen processes that are not needed for this survival mode. These processes that it dampens or slows is digestion, immune system response and other functions not necessary at that moment.
The adrenals balance the following hormones…
• Glucocorticoids Hormone (e.g. cortisol) – balance your body’s blood sugar, helps with energy and food metabolism, helps body deal with stress, and manages the immune response.
• Mineralocorticoids Hormone (e.g. aldosterone) – helps maintain a healthy blood pressure, manages blood hydration level, and keeps the blood healthy by balance the water and salt levels.
• Estrogen and Testosterone – helps maintain proper levels
• Adrenaline – aids in heart health, helps to maintain that all body parts are getting a proper supply of blood and converts glycogen into glucose in the liver.

Adrenal Fatigue is Real… But You Can Heal It

The best treatment for adrenal fatigue is to reduce stress on the body and the mind, eliminate toxins, and avoid negative thinking. Find ways to reduce your stress through meditation and relaxation techniques, get plenty of sleep, replenish the body with healthy foods that are not processed, free of artificial ingredients and colors, and do things to start changing your thought processes to be positive.
Nutrition is a huge factor in adrenal care. Many foods support proper adrenal function and its ability to help keep fatigue from setting in. Again you must start by removing processed foods and any toxins or chemicals from your foods you consume and your environment.
Foods to eliminate to help heal adrenal fatigue:
• Sugar and Artificial sweeteners
• Processed and microwaved foods
• Hydrogenated oils and fats
• Artificial colorings, flavors, and ingredients
Foods and Supplements that can help heal adrenal fatigue:
• Coconut
• Olives
• Avocado
• Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc.)
• Fatty fish (e.g., wild-caught salmon)
• Chicken and turkey
• Nuts, such as walnuts and almonds
• Seeds, such as pumpkin, chia and flax
• Kelp and seaweed
• Celtic or Himalayan sea salt
• Fish Oil (EPA/DHA)
• Vitamins and Minerals (Magnesium, Vitamin B5, B12, C, D3, Zinc, etc)
• Adaptogen Herbs (e.g. Ashwagandha, Holy basil, etc)
• Super Greens
• Super Fruits
• Shakeology
Stress Reductions to heal adrenal fatigue:
• Rest when you feel tired
• Sleep 8–10 hours a night
• Avoid staying up late, and stay on a regular sleep cycle (ideally, in bed before 10 p.m.)
• Laugh and do something fun every day
• Minimize work and home stress
• Eat on a regular schedule
• Exercise 5-6 days per week
• Avoid negative people and self-talk
• Take time for yourself
• Seek counseling or support for traumatic experiences
With the understanding of your adrenal gland, its function, adrenal fatigue and knowing adrenal fatigue is real, you can then move forward with helping heal it. Adrenal Fatigue is Real… But You Can Heal it!

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Trouble Pooping When On Vacation

Ok, we don't talk about this in polite company, but who has not experienced this?  Why does it happen?  What can you can do about it?

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Trouble Pooping When On Vacation

Have you ever noticed that your system seems to change when traveling? Does it seem that you have Trouble Pooping When On Vacation one way or another?
Are you the person that shuts down for business? You know the one where there is just No way… You’re on vacation, and so is your system. UGH…
Or maybe you are the person that is the opposite of shut down. You know the one that is visiting the throne so much it is making your vacation Shi#@y… Pun intended!
Well guess what?
Trouble Pooping When On Vacation is normal. It isn’t ideal, but it is normal.

Trouble Pooping When On Vacation

So let’s be real and talk about it! No shyness here!
Travel constipation, can be caused by several factors. The biggest factor is your eating habits are typically very different. Most of the time when we travel nutrition intake of fiber goes down, and saturated fats goes up. When this happens the bowel doesn’t adjust immediately and simply shuts down. So if want to keep things moving along while on vacation, remember to eat your fruits and vegetables every day.
Another big factor can be dehydration. Proper hydration always helps the stool move along, even when your nutrition isn’t so great. Be sure to carry around a water bottle with you, and make sure to drink water regularly.
Another tip to help you keep things flowing, is movement. If you regular exercise, make sure you keep doing so on your vacation. Even if it’s for less time, your body will appreciate the habits continuing.
Unfortunately, if these tips don’t help you out you may just have type-A rectum and anal sphincter. Yes, you can laugh, but it is true. Some people’s systems just get really uptight about any change in routine.  Really you can blame the brain on this one. If the brain is just not relaxed enough in the different environment, it just may not happen.
Okay, we cannot forget the other part of Trouble Pooping When On Vacation… Diarrhea.
So what causes this opposite flow? Typically, the biggest cause is anxiety and stress about travel. If you’re stressed about the trip, or flying, or a lot before you leave as you are tying up loose ends, it may manifest as travel diarrhea. If this is you, then be sure to stay away spicy foods, excess alcohol, and foods you don’t typically eat.
Having a sensitive stomach is nothing to be ashamed of! Be sure to keep your acid levels lower, and you may want to consume blander foods. If you just can get it to calm down, you may have to use an over the counter stomach aid.
So enjoy your vacation, and know that Trouble Pooping When On Vacation is not out of the ordinary. Just follow the tips and it may make things a bit easier on your system.