Journal your gratitudes. Those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis:

1. ·         exercised more regularly
2. ·         reported fewer physical symptoms
3. ·         felt better about their lives as a whole
4. ·         were more optimistic about the upcoming week
5. ·        were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based)

Other Gratitude Notes

1. Most people report being grateful (an average rating of nearly 6 on a 7 point scale).

2. Well-Being:  Grateful people report higher levels of:
   •  positive emotions
   • life satisfaction
   • vitality,
   • optimism
   • lower levels of depression and stress. 

 The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions.  Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.  

3. Prosociality: People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others, as well as be more generous.

4. Spirituality:  Those who regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities such as prayer reading religious material score are more likely to be grateful.

 5.  Materialism:  Grateful individuals:

• ·          place less importance on material goods
• ·         are less likely to judge their own and others success in terms of possessions accumulated
• ·         are less envious of  others
• ·         are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.   

Do you eat:

• mindlessly?
• when you’re tired or bored?
• in response to stress?

If so, you are eating for reasons other than hunger, which is called emotional eating.  Take this simple quiz to find out

Frequently, I encounter people who are struggling with emotional eating.

I had recognized this problem in myself many years ago, but it wasn’t until 2004 that I decided to be healed from emotional eating.  That is when I found Dr. Wilbert and his book “Fattitudes”.

From his book (and the phone counseling that I requested), I learned several tools that I can implement at anytime I slip and struggle with emotional eating.  It is a lifelong process, but can be managed and overcome.

I have given this book to so many people.  It’s such a fabulous resource.

Learn the 4 corner stones of Empowered Eating. 

No one has requested that I give this testimony or will be compensating me.   It’s just on my heart to share this with you.

NOTE: to purchase Dr. Wilbert’s Book, Fattitudes, visit amazon.com.

Watch this 2 minute video that aired on Fox News about why he recommends Juice Plus for those of us who do not get the recommended 7-13 servings of fruits and veggies each day, every day.

 http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3117002&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/health/drrosenfeld/index.html

Who is Dr. Rosefeld?

 Isadore Rosenfeld, M.D., a professor of medicine at New York Hospital Weil Cornell Medical Center, is widely recognized as one of this country’s preeminent doctors. His regular appearances on network television have garnered a devoted nationwide following of viewers seeking the latest information on health and medical issues.

With nine best-selling books to his credit (as well as a textbook for doctors), Dr. Rosenfeld is one of the leading and most effective proponents of the medical enlightenment of the American public. He is the Health Editor of Parade magazine, with 82 million readers.

Dr. Rosenfeld is a practicing physician and the Rossi Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York Hospital Weil Cornell Medical Center.

He was president of the New York County Medical Society and was a member of The Practicing Physicians Advisory Council for the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

In addition to maintaining a private practice in Manhattan, Dr. Rosenfeld has served as a consultant to the National Institute of Health on such task forces as arteriosclerosis, sudden death and hypertension.

He is the recipient of the first award for the achievement in cardiovascular medicine and science by the New York affiliate of the American Heart Association.

Antioxidants protect cells from damage by toxins in the environment. Dark-colored produce (berries, kale, broccoli) tends to be higher in flavonoids, polyphenols and other antioxidants.  

Recommendations are to eat 5-9 servings (and up to 13 servings for athletes) of fruits and veggies to maintain health.  Unfortunately, the majority of people can not eat (or can not get their families to eat) enough fruits and veggies to receive the protective benefits. 

Recognizing this, researchers at the University of Florida set out to determine if gammadelta T-cells, which play a role in guarding against viruses and infection and in wound healing, increase in stressed-out law students taking Juice Plus (dehydrated fruits and veggies in capsules, chewables, or gummies).

It does.

By day 77 there was a 30% increase in circulating gammadelta-T cells and a 40% reduction in DNA damage in lymphocytes (which play an important and integral role in the body’s defenses) compared to the placebo group.

Note that unrepaired damaged DNA impedes a cell’s ability to carry out its function, so having less DNA damage to lymphocytes, which protect the body’s immunity is very important.

To summarize, even though the law students were in high-stress environments, their immunity improved due to more protective cells (gammadelta T-cells) and improved function (less damage) to their lymphocytes. 

If that happens after 77 days, imagine the benefits of 17 fruits and vegetables day after day for a year.  What other benefits might you see? 

Find out how your family can get the benefits of 17 fruits and vegetables, too!

You won’t start feeling bad, or developing symptoms, until you are already ill.

That means that you could be feeling “fine” for a long time, while your health worsens, unbeknownst to you.

Symptoms develop only after you’ve been sick enough to cause a decrease in function. 

That means you will not feel the effects of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc., until you are well on your way to that disease.

What can you do?  2 Things:

1.         Judge your health on your daily behaviors.  We know that several behaviors lead you toward health.  A lifestyle that lead you toward health, encompasses the following:

•             Eating a diet rich in fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean sources of protein and low in saturated fat and hydrogenated oils.

• Getting at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.

• Maintaining a low-level of stress

• Having healthy personal relationships

• Getting enough sleep

• Resolving psychological issues

• Limiting exposure to toxins (like alcohol, cigarettes, and air pollution)

2.         Practice preventative medicine.  That means having regular check-ups, blood tests, and age-appropriate tests (i.e. colonoscopy) for early detection of potential problems.

Remember, how you feel is not a good indication of your health.

Once you feel ill, you have already been ill for a while.

If you are currently, not living a lifestyle that will lead you toward health, I challenge you to choose one thing from the above list to add to your life today!

Your body will thank you J

Freedom is indeed a concept to celebrate.  Typically, when we think of “freedom”, we think of freedom from something.  Actually, “freedom” entails “freedom to” as well.

In the realm of health and fitness, we are “free” to care or not care for our bodies.  We are free to nourish our bodies well or not.  We are free to make numerous decisions throughout our day that will lead us toward or away from health and wellness.  In fact, we are free to be informed of our health or not.

The decisions we make ultimately come down to a key concept of using freedom to our advantage: responsibility. Whether in a our bodies or a society, responsibility when exercising freedom creates harmony, rather than chaos (or illness in the case of the body).

For example, although we are “free” to eat deep fried candy bars for breakfast, it is obvious that exercising freedom in this manner leads to negative effects.  This is a misuse of freedom, removing the inherent goodness of freedom. 

So, as we celebrate our Nations freedom, know that our freedom can work to our advantage (when we exercise it with responsibility) or against us.  We are free to use this gift in any manner we see fit, so use it well!

 Happy Independence Day!

Consider this…. Imagine you are given an entire day that you can spend doing anything you want, free from daily stresses and responsibilities.   What would you do? Now, imagine that day if you would be not being able to stand for a long period of time or had to rest after 15-20 minutes of walking. 

• It’s a little different picture.

 It has been said that life after 55 can be the most enjoyable years of one’s life IF, and it’s a big IF. IF….you have your health. Darrin’s quote at the top of the page ends on a positive note.  He says: “It does not have to be this way.” He’s right!  This is the good news.  You are in control of the 80% of your health (the other 20% is genetics). Today can be the day that you turn around any aspect of your life that may be leading you away from health.  Today, you have the control to live the healthful, joyful life you were meant to live.

 “This is the first generation that probably will not outlive their parents.”  This is the first time in human history for this to occur. He did not make a distinction between “normal” and “overweight” children.   Keep in mind that obesity in general is not the problem, it is these behaviors:

• eating high fat, low nutrient foods
• eating too large of portions
• being too sedentary

 For some people, including children, those behaviors will lead to obesity.  For some, it will not.   Regardless of the visual effect, the results inside the body are the same:

• fatty build up in the arteries
• low energy
• compromised cardiovascular health
• risk for diabetes
• and on and on.

 It is the behaviors that must change in order to improve health, not the result of weight loss. 

This is worth repeating: To improve health, health behaviors (nutrition and activity habits) must change.  Weight loss alone will not improve health. Given this, it is important to measure your health successes and those of your child by the decisions made daily to eat well and engage in activiy, rather than measure success by stepping on a scale. You can control your behaviors. You can not directly control the scale. If you are encountering a particular obstacle for living healthfully or have a suggestion for turning your health around, please post a comment.  

1.  Have healthy food available to you at all times

Here are tips on how to accomplish this:

·        Stash non-perishable healthy snacks in your car, office, purse, backpack, etc.  (i.e. TRIO bars or LARA bars)

·        When you leave the house and you won’t be returning for at least 3 hours, take a food.  Any combination of foods that include at least 5 grams of protein will do. 

WARNING!  Don’t get stuck in thinking of only “snack” foods.  I’ve filled plastic containers with leftovers, deli meat and veggies, or cut up fruit and nuts and taken them with me when I know I’ll be out for a few hours.

·        Keep sources of cooked lean protein in the fridge at all times (i.e. chicken, fish, eggs, or beans).  That way any meal or snack can be quickly perfected with a protein source. (I learned this secret from Fat Loss Lifestyle.)

·        Go to the grocery store often.  Make it part of your week.  There is no way to live a healthy fit life without healthy food available to you.

 2.  Plan your workouts.

            At the beginning of the week, plan your workouts, so that you have no guessing when you get to the gym – you simply do the plan.

            It may seem like the 10 minutes you spend planning what you will do (with regard to exercise) and when is wasted time, but it serves several functions:

·        You ensure that your plan is well-rounded (i.e. enough weight lifting – Just so you know, 2 times a week is the minimum recommendation)

·        You know what clothes to pack in your gym bag.

·        You won’t get to the end of the week without a workout and realize the week has passed you by.

·        You will be able to visually see your commitment (and if you’re a task-oriented person, like me, you get the satisfaction of “crossing it off your list”).

By putting these two practices in place, you can live the fit healthy life of all successful personal trainers.

For a detailed, specific, no-guessing nutrition and workout program, I recommend Fat Loss Lifestyle, a 12 week program that kicks off a lifestyle of healthy eating, interval cardio training, and strength training.

Looking for a stress-busting workout that delivers fat burning and muscle-building results?

Look no further than high intensity interval training.

Won’t any exercise reduce stress?  Yes.  However, if you are looking for the most effective method, kick up the intensity.

 Consider the body’s natural stress response: 

When you encounter a challenge, a mix of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released, which in turn initiates the release of large amounts of sugar into the blood stream.  The body releases sugar because unlike fat, sugar can be burned quickly, providing exceptional performance (like out running a saber tooth tiger).

The large increase in sugar is meant to be followed by movement – intense movement.  Intense movement is the only thing that will burn up the sugar and return the body to a relaxed state.

Intense movement depletes sugar stores and causes you to get out of breath (become non-aerobic, for you fitness folks).  This leads to a large accumulation of various substances (lactic acid, being one), which signals the release of human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone. 

When the threat is over, the chemical combination of cortisol, HGH, testosterone, and adrenaline work synergistically to burn fat, build muscle, and make you leaner, faster, and stronger.  Essentially, they make you ready to take on (and win) another challenge.

In addition, the intense movement signals other changes in the body, including a feeling of energized relaxation.  Ahhhh….

Today’s Chronic Stress

Unfortunately, in today’s world, we rarely engage in high-intensity movement when we encounter stress.  This intense movement is needed to return our body back to a state of relaxation.

Without intense movement, our bodies remain in a state of chronic stress.  The negative effects of stress are well known, spanning from poor eating and sleeping habits to fatal diseases.

Putting it into practice.

For workouts to combat stress, click here.