About Me

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Former teacher, clinical social worker and now entrepreneur. My focus, no matter what career I am engaged in, has been on helping people. Now I am on an incredible journey to change life in a leaner, cleaner, greener way. I hope you will join me in this transition.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Do You Feel Too Fat To Be Photographed?

OMGosh ... you have to read this article ... this hit me hard.  I have very few pictures of me. I didn't want to have my picture taken because I was "too fat."  I am so phobic about having my picture taken that I once, while in a very crowded restaurant, tried to scoot back out of the range of the camera and the chair broke and I was sprawled out on the floor in front of more than 100 people.  So much for hoping no one noticed I was fat.  I was so humiliated.  Please read this article ...
 

The Many AMAZING Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide. Who Knew?

Image from diycozyhome.com
If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know that I have been on a mission to find alternatives to store bought "chemicals," especially for cleaning.  I saw this article on Tammy Carter Farrell's FB page and I thought you would enjoy it.  She provides a whole list of things that you can use Hydrogen Peroxide in your home.  Who knew?
 
Ever since I started using Hydrogen Peroxide to get rid of armpit stains, to clean cookie sheets, as a miracle cleaner in my kitchen and bathroom, and to make my own “oxi clean”…I ALWAYS have at least one bottle of the stuff under my kitchen sink, under my bathroom sink, AND in the laundry room. This stuff is amazingly versatile!

But it wasn’t until recently, after doing some IN DEPTH research on the subject, that I came to realize what a “miracle substance” hydrogen peroxide really is! It’s safe, it’s readily available, it’s cheap, and best of all, it WORKS! It works for a LOT of stuff!

Hydrogen peroxide should really be called oxygen water, since it is basically the same chemical make up as water but with an extra oxygen atom (H2O2). Because of this it breaks down quickly and harmlessly into oxygen and water.

Some other interesting facts about hydrogen peroxide:

It is found in all living material.

Your white blood cells naturally produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to fight bacteria and infections.

Fruit and vegetables naturally produce hydrogen peroxide. This is one of the reasons why it is so healthy to eat fresh fruit and vegetables.

It is found in massive dosages in the mother’s first milk, called colostrum, and is transferred to the baby to boost their immune system.

It is found in rain water because some of the H20 in the atmosphere receives an additional oxygen atom from the ozone (O3) and this H2O2 makes plants grow faster.

Next to Apple Cider Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide ranks up there as one of the best household remedies.

Besides the obvious (cleansing wounds), did you know that it is probably the best remedy to dissolve ear wax? Brighten dingy floors? Add natural highlights to your hair? Improve your plants root systems? The list goes on and on!

There are SO many uses for this stuff that I’ve started replacing the cap on the hydrogen peroxide bottle with a sprayer because it’s easier and faster to use that way.

I have compiled a rather impressive list of uses for 3% hydrogen peroxide that I hope will have you as thrilled and bewildered as I was!

Wash vegetables and fruits with hydrogen peroxide to remove dirt and pesticides. Add 1/4 cup of H2O2 to a sink of cold water. After washing, rinse thoroughly with cool water.

 In the dishwasher, add 2 oz. to your regular detergent for a sanitizing boost. Also, beef up your regular dish soap by adding roughly 2 ounces of 3% H2O2 to the bottle.

Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash to freshen breath. It kills the bacteria that causes halitosis. Use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.

Use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste for brushing teeth. Helps with early stages of gingivitis as it kills bacteria. Mixed with salt and baking soda, hydrogen peroxide works as a whitening toothpaste.

Soak your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide between uses to keep it clean and prevent the transfer of germs. This is particularly helpful when you or someone in your family has a cold or the flu.

Clean your cutting board and countertop. Let everything bubble for a few minutes, then scrub and rinse clean. (I’ve been using it for this a LOT lately!)

Wipe out your refrigerator and dishwasher. Because it’s non-toxic, it’s great for cleaning places that store food and dishes.

Clean your sponges. Soak them for 10 minutes in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and warm water in a shallow dish. Rinse the sponges thoroughly afterward.

Remove baked-on crud from pots and pans. Combine hydrogen peroxide with enough baking soda to make a paste, then rub onto the dirty pan and let it sit for a while. Come back later with a scrubby sponge and some warm water, and the baked-on stains will lift right off.

Whiten bathtub grout. First dry the tub thoroughly, then spray it liberally with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit — it may bubble slightly — for a little while, then come back and scrub the grout with an old toothbrush. You may have to repeat the process a few times.

Clean the toilet bowl. Pour half a cup of hydrogen peroxide into the toilet bowl, let stand for 20 minutes, then scrub clean.

Remove stains from clothing, curtains, and tablecloths. Hydrogen peroxide can be used as a pre-treater for stains — just soak the stain for a little while in 3% hydrogen peroxide before tossing into the laundry. You can also add a cup of peroxide to a regular load of whites to boost brightness. It’s a green alternative to bleach, and works just as well.

Brighten dingy floors. Combine half a cup of hydrogen peroxide with one gallon of hot water, then go to town on your flooring. Because it’s so mild, it’s safe for any floor type, and there’s no need to rinse.

Clean kids’ toys and play areas. Hydrogen peroxide is a safe cleaner to use around kids, or anyone with respiratory problems, because it’s not a lung irritant. Spray toys, toy boxes, doorknobs, and anything else your kids touch on a regular basis.

Help out your plants. To ward off fungus, add a little hydrogen peroxide to your spray bottle the next time you’re spritzing plants.

Add natural highlights to your hair. Dilute the hydrogen peroxide so the solution is 50% peroxide and 50% water. Spray the solution on wet hair to create subtle, natural highlights.

According to alternative therapy practitioners, adding half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to a warm bath can help detoxify the body. Some are skeptical of this claim, but a bath is always a nice way to relax and the addition of hydrogen peroxide will leave you – and the tub – squeaky clean!

Spray a solution of 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide on leftover salad, drain, cover and refrigerate. This will prevent wilting and better preserve your salad.

Sanitize your kids’ lunch boxes/bags.

Dab hydrogen peroxide on pimples or acne to help clear skin.

Hydrogen peroxide helps to sprout seeds for new plantings. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution once a day and spritz the seed every time you re-moisten. You can also use a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 32 parts water to improve your plants’ root system.

Remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths. Fill a sink with cold water and a 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Soak for at least an hour, rinse in cold water and air dry.

Use it to remove ear wax. Use a solution of 3% with olive or almond oil. Add a couple drops of oil first then H2O2. After a few minutes, tilt head to remove solution and wax.

Helps with foot fungus. Spray a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry. Or try soaking your feet in a peroxide solution to help soften calluses and corns, and disinfect minor cuts.

Spray down the shower with hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria and viruses.

Use 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water to clean humidifiers and steamers.

Wash shower curtains with hydrogen peroxide to remove mildew and soap scum. Place curtains in machine with a bath towel and your regular detergent. Add 1 cup full strength 3% hydrogen peroxide to the rinse cycle.

Use for towels that have become musty smelling. 1/2 cup Peroxide and 1/2 cup vinegar let stand for 15 minutes wash as normal. Gets rid of the smell.

Use hydrogen peroxide to control fungi present in aquariums. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your fish. Use sparingly for this purpose.

De-skunking solution. Combine 1 quart 3% H2O2, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon Dawn dish detergent, 2 quarts warm water.


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The NEW Bedtime Belly Buster plus Sleep Info

Here is the NEW BEDTIME BELLY BUSTER complements of Larry Fuchs, Jr. and Dr.Suk Cho.
So why the NEW Bedtime Belly Buster?During a recent phone conversation, Susan Sly and Dr. Suk Cho started discussing the Bedtime Belly Buster (BBB). They both had concerns about the amount of daily calcium, when calcium was included in the BBB. With 2 IsaLean shakes daily, along with the Ageless Essentials a.m. and p.m. you are getting all the bio available calcium you need for the day. Newer studies shown that at a certain level of calcium, it becomes to high and you can get more calcification in the joints and can lead to greater challenges.

The main reason for having the IsaCalcium in the BBB, was it put you in a deeper sleep, faster. This is know as the REM (rapid eye movement) cycle. Now we have the Isagenix Sleep Spray which can safely accomplish the same objective. You can read more on the REM cycle below.

For the New Bedtime Belly Buster, you will need:
1 scoop Isa Pro (NOT IsaLean Pro!)
1 scoop or 1 packet of IsaFruits
4 ounces purified water
2 ice cubes (optional)
Shake or Blend

1 to 4 sprays of the Isagenix Sleep Spray
2 to 3 IsaOmegas

When do I take BBB?Shut down you computer and shut off the T.V. Take your BBB and Sleep spray, and then brush your teeth. Go to bed and relax, write down your gratitude's for the day, read some kind of self developement. The best time for you to produce growth hormones is getting quality sleep between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Step 1:

 
BBB with Ice: Place 4 ounces of water along with 2 ice cubes in your IsaBlender vessel. Screw on the blade and blend until the ice is dissolved. Then add 1 scoop Isa Pro and 1 scoop IsaFruits and blend again for 5 seconds. Since the IsaFruits blend together better than the former IsaCalcium, a quick 5 second blend will cut down to foam.
 
Without Ice: Place 4 ounces of water in your IsaBlender vessel, add 1 scoop Isa Pro and 1 scoop IsaFruits and blend for 5 seconds and drink. Because the IsaFruits blend easier than the calcium,Take you can also mix this in your Isagenix Shaker Cup.
 

Step 2:Use 1 to 4 sprays of the Isagenix Sleep Spray , your normal amount. If you have not used the sleep spray in the past, start with 1 spray and work from there.

Take up to 3 IsaOmegas. Caution! If you are on blood thinners or at any risk of having thin blood or have a family history of strokes, you want to skip the IsaOmegas.
 
Isa Pro builds muscle, Muscle burn 300% more calories than fat.
 
IsaFruits has many ingredients to help torch body fat. Contains Prebiotics and probiotics
 
Isagenix Sleep Spray help get you into the REM cycle faster.
 
IsaOmegas helps burns fat and help your body get shredded.

There are two main types of sleep:
  1. Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep (also known as quiet sleep
  2. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep (also known asactive sleep or paradoxical sleep

The Beginnings of Sleep

During the earliest phases of sleep, you are still relatively awake and alert. The brain produces what are known as beta waves, which are small and fast. As the brain begins to relax and slow down, slower waves known as alpha waves are produced. During this time when you are not quite asleep, you may experience strange and extremely vivid sensations known as hypnagogic hallucinations. Common examples of this phenomenon include feeling like you are falling or hearing someone call your name.

Another very common event during this period is known as a myoclonic jerk. If you've ever startled suddenly for seemingly no reason at all, then you have experienced this odd phenomenon. While it may seem unusual, these myoclonic jerks are actually quite common.


Stage 1

Stage 1 is the beginning of the sleep cycle, and is a relatively light stage of sleep. Stage 1 can be considered a transition period between wakefulness and sleep. In Stage 1, the brain produces high amplitude theta waves, which are very slow brain waves. This period of sleep lasts only a brief time (around 5-10 minutes). If you awaken someone during this stage, they might report that they weren't really asleep.


Stage 2

Stage 2 is the second stage of sleep and lasts for approximately 20 minutes. The brain begins to produce bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity known as sleep spindles. Body temperature starts to decrease and heart rate begins to slow.


Stage 3

Deep, slow brain waves known as delta waves begin to emerge during stage 3 sleep. Stage 3 is a transitional period between light sleep and a very deep sleep.


Stage 4

Stage 4 is sometimes referred to as delta sleepbecause of the slow brain waves known as delta waves that occur during this time. Stage 4 is a deep sleep that lasts for approximately 30 minutes. Bed-wetting and sleepwalking are most likely to occur at the end of stage 4 sleep.


Stage 5

Most dreaming occurs during the fifth stage of sleep, known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is characterized by eye movement, increased respiration rate and increased brain activity. REM sleep is also referred to as paradoxical sleep because while the brain and other body systems become more active, muscles become more relaxed. Dreaming occurs due because of increased brain activity, but voluntary muscles become paralyzed.


The Sequence of Sleep Stages


It is important to realize, however, that sleep does not progress through these stages in sequence. Sleep begins in stage 1 and progresses into stages 2, 3 and 4. After stage 4 sleep, stage 3 and then stage 2 sleep are repeated before entering REM sleep. Once REM sleep is over, the body usually returns to stage 2 sleep. Sleep cycles through these stages approximately four or five times throughout the night.

On average, we enter the REM stage approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep. The first cycle of REM sleep might last only a short amount of time, but each cycle becomes longer. REM sleep can last up to an hour as sleep progresses.

If you would like to get started on YOUR flat belly please feel free to contact me at:
or visit my website
 

You Can Do It!!

Just a reminder ... to achieve your goals it takes courage, strength and determination ... and sometimes a little help from your friends.  Whatever your goal is, I'm here for you ... YOU CAN TO IT!!!



DREAM BIG ... IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH ... YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Kale Chips (Yum Yum) and Why Its Good for You - Recipe



My kale is up and ready! ... I have been waiting patiently for weeks to make this recipe.


And here is some good information about why kale is good for you.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Conversion Chart for Gluten Free Baking


If you are switching to a gluten-free diet, you might have difficulty trying to figure out how to measure the alternatives for wheat flour.  This chart from GYGI should help. Check out the helpful hits that follow the chart.




Things You Should Know:

-If the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, use 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
-If the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking powder, use 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.

-If the recipe calls for 1 egg, use 2 eggs and decrease liquid in the recipe by 2 tablespoons.

-If the recipe calls for 2 eggs, use 3 eggs and decrease the liquid in the recipe by 2 tablespoons.
(Decrease the liquid called for in the recipe by 2 tablespoons per egg added)

Helpful Hints:

-Gluten-free baking is not as complicated as it seems. You can make your own flour mix by combining the rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch and sifting it together well. Don’t add the xantham gum to this mix. Once you have done that, add this combination as if it is wheat flour. If your recipe calls for 3 cups of wheat flour, add 3 cups of your gluten-free combination. Then add the appropriate amount of xantham gum. (see the chart above). Store the gluten-free mix just like you do flour.
-Gluten-free baked goods do not last as long as goods baked with wheat flour. If you are not going to use up everything you just baked within the next day or two, the best way to keep it fresh is to freeze it. Most baked goods freeze well.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding gluten-free baking. We are here to help! It can be a little bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it… it’s a breeze! (Decrease the liquid called for in the recipe by 2 tablespoons per egg added)
 

 

Saturday, June 29, 2013

The Scientific 7-Minute Workout



This column appears in the May 12 issue of The New York Times Magazine, by Gretchen Reynolds.

Exercise science is a fine and intellectually fascinating thing. But sometimes you just want someone to lay out guidelines for how to put the newest fitness research into practice.

An article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal does just that. In 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort — all of it based on science.

“There’s very good evidence” that high-intensity interval training provides “many of the fitness benefits of prolonged endurance training but in much less time,” says Chris Jordan, the director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., and co-author of the new article.

Work by scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and other institutions shows, for instance, that even a few minutes of training at an intensity approaching your maximum capacity produces molecular changes within muscles comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding.

Interval training, though, requires intervals; the extremely intense activity must be intermingled with brief periods of recovery. In the program outlined by Mr. Jordan and his colleagues, this recovery is provided in part by a 10-second rest between exercises. But even more, he says, it’s accomplished by alternating an exercise that emphasizes the large muscles in the upper body with those in the lower body. During the intermezzo, the unexercised muscles have a moment to, metaphorically, catch their breath, which makes the order of the exercises important.

The exercises should be performed in rapid succession, allowing 30 seconds for each, while, throughout, the intensity hovers at about an 8 on a discomfort scale of 1 to 10, Mr. Jordan says. Those seven minutes should be, in a word, unpleasant. The upside is, after seven minutes, you’re done.
 
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If you are an athlete interested in getting into peak shape this summer, check out our ATHLETIC PAC approved by Dr. Michael Colgan of the Colgan Institute, on www.thehealthyhelms.com

Thursday, June 27, 2013

How to Survive a Heart Attack If You are Alone


Tina Arnold provides some very important information about surviving a heart attack when you are alone.  Pass this along to your friends and family.  Who knows …. It might save a life!!! 

~HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE~
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.
A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!

A cardiologist says If everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can bet that we'll save at least one life.



If you are interested in Healthy Heart Solutions contact me:
newtraditions99@yahoo.com
or visit our web site at:
www.thehealthyhelms.com
 

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Get the SKINNY on FAT!!


What Happens to Body Fat When You Cleanse? From Isagenix Health News
Ah, the visual joy of weight loss—your face is more defined, your belly no longer protrudes over the waist of your pants, and parts that used to jiggle are now toned. On the outside, fat loss seems like a fairly simple process. However, what happens in your body during weight loss involves an intricate web of metabolic changes that include structural transformation of fat cells, the breakdown and use of fat for energy, as well as changes in hormone production.

Performing Isagenix Cleanse Days—a combination of intermittent fasting with herbs and vitamins that support detoxification—is an effective approach for weight loss, especially for targeting fat loss. In fact, the UIC study using Isagenix products found that those who follow the Isagenix system had more fat loss and twice as much visceral fat loss than those who followed a “heart healthy” diet.

How does fat loss occur when you incorporate Cleanse Days into your routine? To understand, we’ll have to start with the basics, or Fat 101:

Getting to know fat

Adipose tissue—or body fat—is comprised of millions of fat cells, also called adipocytes, with the average adult having around 40 billion. The weight of adipose tissue is about 20 percent of body weight, making it one of the biggest organs in the body.

Fat can be defined by where it’s found in the body: subcutaneous fat is located just below the surface of the skin while visceral fat is found in the abdominal cavity, surrounding the internal organs. Furthermore, there are two types of adipose tissue: white and brown. White adipose tissue is primarily used as an energy reserve and brown adipose tissue functions to generate heat.

Adipose tissue is a metabolically active organ rather than just an inert mass as many may have guessed. In fact, each depot of the organ even receives its own vascular and nerve supply.

Adipose tissue has been identified as an endocrine organ because of its production of hormones known as adipokines. These signaling proteins influence several important functions including glucose and lipid metabolism, blood coagulation, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and steroid hormone modulation (1). Excessive adipose tissue has been shown to disrupt the normal endocrine functions of fat cells and can negatively affect health through insulin resistance, abnormal blood lipids, and even increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Leptin is an adipokine that regulates hunger and appetite by telling the brain, “I’m full!” Although intuition may assume that leptin levels would be low in obese individuals due to chronically excessive food intake, the opposite is true. Leptin has been shown to be tightly related to fat cell size: the bigger the adipocyte, the greater the expression of leptin (2).

This would mean that obese persons are constantly feeling full, right? Wrong. Obesity is associated with resistance to the effects of leptin on the brain appetite centers, so they actually end up having an impaired response that doesn’t indicate fullness. This exemplifies how complex the relationship is between adipose tissue and the endocrine system.

Fat cells increase in size, then in number

When energy balance becomes positive (meaning there are more calories consumed than burned), the adipose organ increases, particularly in the amount of white adipose tissue. White adipocytes undergo hypertrophy (increase in volume) followed by hyperplasia (increase in number).

It’s been proposed that adipocytes have a maximum volume, referred to as “critical cell size” that may be genetically determined (3). This means that fat cells can only get so big. Once they reach their critical cell size, they trigger production of new adipocytes. In other words, your existing fat cells are filled until they reach their capacity (much like a balloon) and then signal the body to make more fat cells.

You are more likely to make additional fat cells at certain times in your life. Research has shown that the natural production of fat cells steadily increases during childhood and levels off in early adulthood (4). Although more research is needed, this could indicate that children who are obese are more likely to be obese as adults and experience greater difficulties in trying to achieve weight loss.

How the body burns fat

When energy balance is negative in the body (meaning there are more calories being burned than consumed), the hormones that access stored fuel are increased, namely glucagon. In short, the body flips from an energy-storing state to an energy-burning state.

First, the body will burn stored carbohydrate, also known as glycogen, which is found mostly in the liver and muscles. Once the glycogen energy reserve has been exhausted, the body breaks down fat in a process called lipolysis.

What happens to fat cells during weight loss?

During negative energy balance such as on Cleanse Days, the body will use the fat for fuel causing the fat cells to shrink in size. As fat cells decrease in size, so too does the amount of signaling molecules produced. Over time, this reestablishment of normal endocrine function can be immensely beneficial for health including decreasing the molecules that induce inflammation.

Additionally, fat loss accompanied by adequate intake of optimal nutrition—such as  vitamins (B vitamins, vitamins C and E), minerals (selenium, zinc, copper), and other bioactive nutrients including coenzyme Q10 and polyphenols—support the detoxification systems of the body in the removal of toxins. (Read more in The Basics of Detoxification.)

It is interesting to note that fat cells have the ability to shrink but rarely decrease in number. However, during fat loss, cells can decrease as much as 400 percent in size! For many, this morphological transformation supported by dietary interventions such as Cleanse Days means more than just a slimmer appearance; it can improve health and even add years of quality life.

 References

1.    Rossmeislova L, Malisova L, Kracmerova J, Stich V. Adaptation of human adipose tissue to hypocaloric diet. Int J Obes (Lond) 2013;37:640-50. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2012.80

2.    Skurk T, Alberti-Huber C, Herder C, Hauner H. Relationship between adipocyte size and adipokine expression and secretion. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007;92:1023-33.

3.    Cinti S. The adipose organ at a glance. Dis Model Mech 2012;5:588-94.

4.    Spalding KL, Arner E, Westermark PO et al. Dynamics of fat cell turnover in humans. Nature 2008;453:783-7. doi: 10.1038/nature06902

For More Information Contact me at newtraditions99@yahoo.com
or go to our web site www.thehealthyhelms.com
 
 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Be a Bear and Burn Your BAT (All About Thermogenesis)


By Michael Colgan, Ph.D.
Take a lesson on fat loss from bears that activate their brown adipose tissue during winter months.
Thermogenesis is the creation of heat in the body. It occurs when you eat and when you exercise, but also through an extraordinary mechanism involving brown adipose tissue (BAT), which permits the production of heat directly from body fat by bypassing the steps of the energy cycle (1).

A hibernating bear, for example, can lose 300 pounds of fat while it sleeps through the winter. Its body converts body fat to BAT, then creates the heat required to prevent freezing to death in the winter. And the bear does not have to move a muscle!

We are not as efficient as bears at burning fat with BAT. Nevertheless, the amount of BAT in the body of a 40-year-old man or woman is still sufficient to use 10 to 15 percent of their total energy.

But you have to get your BAT moving. Turn up the inner heat. Exposure to cold is very effective. It’s a bit extreme, but it works.

I am busy at my annual task of convincing clients to sit and meditate under a freezing waterfall, or lie in the snow in swimmers by the pool (frozen). These are popular methods for fat loss. I wear a 30-below suit with hood and balaclava so they don’t notice my hysterics.

Usual weight loss programs don’t activate BAT at all. Quite the opposite! If you go on a sudden food restriction diet, the body automatically turns down its heat production and its energy production as a defense mechanism to conserve its fat. That’s why dieters generally feel cold and tired.

You Can Increase BAT Activity

If you can’t face the freeze, there are several things in natural foods that raise BAT activity nicely. The best known is caffeine from coffee. Controlled studies show that a cup of ground arabica coffee on an empty stomach in the morning increases thermogenesis and burns body fat for up to four hours afterwards (2,3).

Green tea also has a separate thermogenic effect, originally thought to be because of its caffeine content. Recent studies, however, show that a group of chemicals called catechins in green tea are mostly responsible. The main catechin in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), induces thermogenesis by itself (2-3).

In a placebo-controlled study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, two groups of 19 healthy, middle-aged men used a moderately reduced-calorie diet, plus tea for 12 weeks. Green tea extract was added to the tea of 19 subjects to yield high levels of catechins. Tea without the extract, containing only low levels of catechins, was used by the 19 controls. The group consuming tea with high catechins lost an average of 5.4 pounds of body fat, approximately twice the body fat loss of the control group. Much of the loss was visceral fat from the belly and fat from the thighs.

The researchers concluded: “Body weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass, and subcutaneous fat area were significantly lower in the green tea extract group than in the control group” (4).

You don’t have to freeze off the flab. Lose that belly fat nice and easy with Isagenix. Brain Boost & Renewal contains high levels of EGCG from green tea, and e+ shot contains both green tea caffeine and catechins. Take both before your workout and green tea with every 400- to 600-calorie meal or an IsaLean Shake to support improved weight loss. It’s a great way to fine-tune abs and buns for the summer, with the bonus of a better brain.

References:

1. Stock MJ. Thermogenesis and brown fat: relevance to human obesity. Infusionstherapie, 1989;16(6):282-284.

2. Wolfram S, Wang Y, Thielecke F. Anti-obesity effects of green tea: from bedside to bench. Mol Nutr Food Res, 2006;50(2):176-187.

3. Nagao T, Komine Y, Soga S, Meguro S, Hase T, Tanaka Y, Tokimitsu I. Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(1):122-129.

4. Nagao T, Hase T, Tokimitsu I. A green tea extract high in catechins reduces body fat and cardiovascular risks in humans. Obesity, 2007;15(6):1473-1483.
 
Note from Donna:  Our new e+ Energy Drink aids in the burning BAT and helps you lose weight.  Contact me for more information:  www.thehealthyhelms.com
 

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Important: Heart Attacks, Water, Aspirin by Sue Lawrence


 
How many folks do you know who say they don't want to drink anything before going to bed because they'll have to get up during the night.  This information may change your mind.

I asked my Doctor why people need to urinate so much at night time. Answer from my Cardiac Doctor - Gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright (legs swell). When you lie down and the lower body (legs and etc.) seeks level with the kidneys, it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier. This then ties in with the last statement!


I knew you need your minimum water to help flush the toxins out of your body, but this was news to me. Correct time to drink water...

Very Important. From A Cardiac Specialist! Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body:

2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs
1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack


I can also add to this... My Physician told me that water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse.

Mayo Clinic Aspirin Dr. Virend Somers, is a Cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic, who is lead author of the report in the July 29, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Most heart attacks occur in the day, generally between 6 A.M. and noon. Having one during the night, when the heart should be most at rest, means that something unusual happened. Somers and his colleagues have been working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is to blame.

1. If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a day, take it at night.
The reason: Aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life"; therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the wee hours of the morning, the Aspirin would be strongest in your system.

2. FYI, Aspirin lasts a really long time in your medicine chest, for years, (when it gets old, it smells like vinegar).

Why keep Aspirin by your bedside? It's about Heart Attacks.

There are other symptoms of a heart attack, besides the pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating; however, these symptoms may also occur less frequently.

Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack. The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.

 
If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. Afterwards: - Call 911. - Phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by.- Say "heart attack!" - Say that you have taken 2 Aspirins. Take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and ...DO NOT LIE DOWN!

A Cardiologist has stated that if each person after receiving this e-mail, sends it to 10 people, probably one life could be saved!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Lose the Toxins -- Lose the Fat

What have I learned about toxins and fat and weight loss?  I have been overweight all my life.  For fifty years I lost weight, only to regain it along with the proverbial 5 to 10 pound bonus.  Then I learned about the link between toxin overload and my inability to lose weight and fat. 

I started a deep cleansing program and have subsequently lost 90 pounds of fat in less than five months, while I gained lean muscle mass.  Even when I decided to take a break from my active weight loss program and went on maintenance, I was able to maintain that 90 pound loss for a year because I kept cleansing weekly.

I have added back the weight loss aspect of my program, and once again the weight and fat is just melting off.

I have included excerpts from two books that explain this link between toxins and fat.

Please contact me if you would like more information.

From Suzanne Somers book Sexy Forever:

"Obesity rates have more than doubled in the past thirty years.  Doesn't this raise the question of why?  Toxins make you fat.  It's that simple, and that complex.  Here's why. Mitochondria are the little powerhouses inside every living cell in your body.  They provide power for your cells by creating energy from fats and sugars, thereby driving your metabolism and fueling your whole body.

When toxins enter your body the buildup damages the mitochondria, your cellular power plants, so they no longer work effectively.  As a result fats and sugars that aren't being burned for fuel pile up all over the body in the form of extra pounds.  Also, without the mitochondria working optimally, you lose your physical energy." 

Other excerpts from Suzanne Somer's book:

"Scientific studies show a strong correlations between levels of toxic burden, higher body weight, and the risk of diabetes."

"No matter how the toxins get into our bodies, whether through the lungs, stomach, or skin, they all meet in the liver at some point and from there get sent to the kidneys and colon for elimination, become trapped in bones, muscles, tissues, or other organs, or they get locked in the liver itself, or they get stored away in fat cells!

The fact that many toxins get trapped in fat cells deserves special attention.  Fat cells don't get broken down easily, so the toxins literally weigh the body down.  If you carry excess fat, burning up that fat releases toxins into the bloodstream for proper removal.  As toxins accumulate, they act in unsuspected ways.  You begin to experience health problems, like allergies, colds, migraines, and infertility, or major diseases like breast cancer and dementia."

Dr. Walter Crinnion points out in his book, Clean, Green & Lean, that excess fat hiding toxins are making you sick AND fat:

"If you're more than 25 pounds above your ideal weight and you're suffering from one or more of the following illnesses, your body is telling you that it's in toxic overload." 
                         * Allergies
                         * Asthma
                         * Autoimmune disease (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto's Thyroidtis
                         * Bone marrow cancer (lymphomas, leukemia, multiple myeloma)
                         * Chemical sensitivity
                         * Chronic fatigue
                         * Diabetes
                         * Fibromyalgia
                         * Infertility
                         * Parkinsonism
                         * Obesity

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Tom's 30-Day Exercise Challenge

Tom has one month until the end of the IsaBody Challenge.  Here is the exercise challenge he is going to do to finish up with a BANG!!!


Tom’s 30-Day Challenge

Day 1
Pushups: 10
Squats: 50
Situps: 10
Lunges: 20
Day 2
Pushups: 12
Squats: 55
Situps: 15
Lunges: 21
Day 3
Pushups: 13
Squats: 60
Situps: 20
Lunges: 22
Day 4
Pushups: 14
Squats: Rest
Situps: 25
Lunges: 23
Day 5
Pushups: 15
Squats: 70
Situps: 30
Lunges: Rest
Day 6
Pushups: 16
Squats: 75
Situps: 35
Lunges: 25
Day 7
Pushups: 17
Squats: 80
Situps: Rest
Lunges: 26
 
Day 8
Pushups: 18
Squats: Rest
Situps: 35
Lunges: 27
Day 9
Pushups: 19
Squats: 100
Situps: 40
Lunges: 28
Day 10
Pushups: 20
Squats: 105
Situps: 45
Lunges: 29
Day 11
Pushups: 21
Squats: 110
Situps: 50
Lunges: Rest
Day 12
Pushups: 22
Squats: Rest
Situps: 55
Lunges: 31
Day 13
Pushups: 23
Squats: 130
Situps: Rest
Lunges: 32
Day 14
Pushups: 24
Squats: 135
Situps: 55
Lunges: 33
 
Day 15
Pushups: 25
Squats: 140
Situps: 60
Lunges: 34
Day 16
Pushups: 26
Squats: Rest
Situps: 65
Lunges: 35
Day 17
Pushups: 27
Squats: 150
Situps: 70
Lunges: 36
Day 18
Pushups: 28
Squats: 155
Situps: 75
Lunges: Rest
Day 19
Pushups: 29
Squats: 160
Situps: Rest
Lunges: 38
Day 20
Pushups: 30
Squats: Rest
Situps: 75
Lunges: 39
Day 21
Pushups: 31
Squats: 180
Situps: 80
Lunges: 40
 
Day 22
Pushups: 32
Squats: 185
Situps: 85
Lunges: 41
Day 23
Pushups: 33
Squats: 190
Situps: 90
Lunges: 42
Day 24
Pushups: 34
Squats: Rest
Situps: 100
Lunges: 43
Day 25
Pushups: 35
Squats: 220
Situps: Rest
Lunges: Rest
Day 26
Pushups: 36
Squats: 225
Situps: 100
Lunges: 45
Day 27
Pushups: 37
Squats: 230
Situps: 100
Lunges: 46
Day 28
Pushups: 38
Squats: Rest
Situps: 100
Lunges: 47
 
Day 29
Pushups: 39
Squats: 240
Situps: Rest
Lunges: 49
Day 30
Pushups: 40
Squats: 250
Situps: 100
Lunges: 50
 
 
 
CONGRATS!!
YOU MADE IT