Friday, March 13, 2009

Blueberry Shake and A Weightloss Tip or Two

I'm sitting here enjoying a blueberry vanilla shake. So good!!! Yummy is an understatement!
I just have to give you the recipe again!

*Blueberry/Vanilla Appetizer Diet Shake*

1/2 cup FROZEN blueberries
1 cup or a 1 1/2 cups soy milk
scoop vanilla appetizer diet shake (http://tinyurl.com/bb85wf )

In blender, blend frozen blueberries and soy milk
Pour into shaker cup
Add vanilla appetizer diet shake
SHAKE

Enjoy!!!! It's YUMMY!!! and so good for you! Try substituting your favorite fruit!


I know my post yesterday was a little long. Yup, sometimes I get carried away when I talk about the power of nutrition and how most of us are missing the boat. Hoping you read it all the way to the end..... cos what I said comes from the heart. I'm really saddened by and sick of seeing folks in misery from PREVENTABLE health situations. YOU can choose NOT to be a statistic.

And do you realize in order to turn the healthcare situation around in this country we all MUST choose to not be a statistic. Industry is not going to stop selling you BS. The solution starts with YOU and ME. Stop buying into the got-a-problem-pop-a-pill mentality. Pharmaceuticals don't create health.... nutrients create health. Stop buying into the pop-it-into-the-microwave mentality. Your body craves whole foods unadultered with chemicals, dyes etc. You can choose NOT to be a statistic by what you put into your body. Think about it, ok.

On the homefront..... I'm doing well with the Shrink It Weight Loss system. http://tinyurl.com/c5n4eo Being sure to get my 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Filling out my daily record http://tinyurl.com/dyyfvl helps me see my progress. Have to confess I was already taking VitaOne, Omega 3 and drinking Crave Energy though I must say filling out the daily record has improved my consistency 100%. In the notes section of the daily record I always note, I took my supplements and had my 7 servings of fruits and vegetables. (Note: Men = 9 servings of fruits and vegetables, Kids = 5 servings of fruits and vegetables). Does 7 servings sound like a lot to you? It's not. A serving of vegetables is approximately 1/2 cup.

If you buy the bags of veggies already cut up for you... (such as, Mann's Sunny Shores) there are five servings in a bag. Just don't microwave them! Eat them raw (you should be eating a % of your nutrition raw) or steam them yourself on top the stove. Microwaving decreases the nutrition! DON'T microwave. There's already less nutrients in our produce today than there used to be; don't lose more nutrients by microwaving.

I've been eating 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. You will find eating every 2-3 hrs you won't have the cravings you normally have. Eating every 2-3 hrs raises your metabolism! Include a little protein each time you eat. For instance, a good snack is apple slices with peanut butter. OF course, I use organic peanut butter not the regular commercial peanut butters which have added sugar. Try it, it's delicious! and so much better for you.

Bookmark this blog. I'll be giving you more tips and recipes.


To Your Health and Happiness......

Pam

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Do You Have Time?

The current issue of Bottomline Health states a recent HealthGrades study (www.healthgrades.com/research) reached an interesting conclusion. Seems that patients in five-star hospitals were 70% less likely to die while in the hospital for treatment of one of the listed conditions compared with a one-star hospital. The study included death from any reason, not just errors. More than half of all deaths were associated with four diagnoses: Heart failure, respiratory failure, pneumonia and sepsis.

There is value in this study in that they point out the more often a procedure is performed at a hospital, the better the outcome. Seems like just common sense but a lot of people don't realize how much difference there can be between hospitals. As a respiratory therapist with 28 yrs experience I can tell you there can be lots of difference between hospitals and lots of difference between doctors. So if you are in need of a medical procedure compare your local hospitals before you proceed.

But I think studies like this also miss the boat. In fact, western medicine misses the boat. The healthcare ship has sailed and left you stranded.....

Here's what I mean....

We hear so much about the millions of dollars cancer (or heart disease or diabetes etc) research needs. We are assaulted with commercials and ads on tv and in magazines about the next terrific pharmaceutical solution. We are even told we can eat anything we want; just pop an antacid later.

The you-have-a-problem-pop-this-drug mentality is one of the reasons we have a healthcare crisis in this country. The pharmaceutical industry should be ashamed and drug commercials should be banned from tv. Heart disease, diabetes and cancer are not caused from a deficiency of pharmaceuticals.... but from a lack of nutrients.... and exercise. Pharmaceuticals have a place in acute life-threatening situations but the emphasis in healthcare should be on not contracting heart disease, diabetes, cancer or any other malady; not on covering up the symptoms with pharmaceuticals. We need to learn to be proactive instead of reactive in our healthcare.

We pour tons of money into medical research and spend tons of money on pharmaceuticals and still the United States health system ranks 37th in the world. http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/index.html Additionally, the United States ranks worst in preventable deaths. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN07651650

Common sense should be telling us one of the reasons for this (maybe THE reason) is while we place so much emphasis on dollars for research; we overlook nutrition. Yet according to the World Health Organization 70+% of cancer could be PREVENTED thru ... guess what ...... NUTRITION!

Look at what the majority of us eat. We are addicted to convenience; fast food, microwavable meals, processed nutrient-poor frankenfoods and high fat, high sodium, high sugar snacks. OUCH!

Look at the increasing chronic illness statistics and one realizes we are killing ourselves. The leading cause of death in kids is cancer... and we are now seeing Type 2 diabetes (an adult disorder) in kids. This alone should wake us up! Walk thru a grocery store and read the ingredients of food products marketed to kids..... it's SHAMEFUL.

You say "what about genetics?"....... well, Dr Dean Ornish has reached an amazing conclusion regarding genetics. Watch this: http://tinyurl.com/47avy7

It seems we have an amazing amount of control over the quality of our health.
My question is when are we going to wake up ... wise up.... and use the control we have.

For our own survival we must create a new mentality regarding wellness. We must learn to be consciously aware of the nutrition in what we eat. Mindless eating is killing us.... and our children.

The vast majority of us live like there's an infinite amount of time allotted to us. But time slips by while we utter the words "I'll do it tomorrow" or "I should..." . A lot of the people I run into as a respiratory therapist in a hospital and also as a health coach in my nutrition business haven't connected time and health. But they are intimately connected.

Make no mistake about it what you consume today affects your future quality of health.

There are moments when I reflect on what I've been thru in my own journey to conquering illness and on what I see in the hospital as a respiratory therapist and at those moments I desperately want to get thru to every person I meet how really tragic it is to lose the quality of your life thru illness; especially illness you could have prevented.

Preventable illnesses are incredibly tragic. Illness takes away a lot of the choices in life. The loss of human potential and the implications that has on the quality of an individuals life, as well as, the loss to society is unfathomable.

I'd say at least 90% of the misery I see in the hospital is preventable.

And if you check out the World Health Organizations website or read a number of books "The China Study" by T Colin Campbell, "Eat To Live" by Joel Fuhrman,M.D., "The AntiOxidant Miracle" by Lester Packer, PhD to name just a few; you will find I am exactly correct.

Just the other day a casual friend remarked she just HAD to lose weight. She's right. She's headed for a really bad life if she doesn't. She asked me how to lose weight. I gave her a few suggestions. She replied she couldn't do that to each suggestion. She doesn't have time and it's to expensive to buy healthy food. Ok so let's get this: she wants to lose weight but she won't change anything that she's doing. If she sticks with the decision she doesn't have time she will join the ranks of thousands of other people overweight with a high incidence of chronic illness.

What she's missing is that time is running out on her not having time to take care of herself.

Another friend stated she's losing weight by eating a high protein diet and generally eating less. But can't find time to exercise. Hopefully, she's eating just enough protein and not overdoing it. Excess protein is not a good thing. Eating less could be a good thing. But it's not really about eating less; it's about being aware of what you are eating, eating mindfully, eating a varied diet of vegetables and fruits and being sure to get all the nutrients her body needs. I hope she is.

And she'll have to come to the realization exercise is a part of the deal. Good health isn't just about eating right and it's not just about normalizing your weight. The body needs to move as much as it needs for you to give it the right nutrients. What she's missing is that time is running out on her not having time to exercise.

These two folks are representative of the folks I keep bumping into in my quest to help others live a healthier life. I'm not picking on these two folks, really I'm not... it's just that they are both on my mind cos not only do I care about both of them greatly; they really are representative of the folks I keep bumping into.... folks with a time problem. There's far to many of you out there.

Aas a respiratory therapist I see the results of the standard american diet and a sedentary lifestyle over and over. It's what urged me to earn my M.S. in Holistic Nutrition and become a health coach. Overweight people. Massively overweight people. Gaping ulcers on their body. Diabetes. Leg amputations. Dementia. Heart disease. Re-do re-do cardiac bypasses. COPD patients who can't breathe but still manage to suck on cigarettes. I see tragic results caused by an unhealthy lifestyle that were preventable.

And folks who don't have time to eat nutritiously or exercise.

The clock is ticking folks....

How many times have you said to yourself:

I should eat better?
or I should exercise more?
or I wish I had more energy?

How many times have you actually attempted to lose weight, get stronger,
live healthier..... and failed? Don't kick yourself.

Most of us have grown up living the typical american lifestyle and eating the typical standard american diet. It's not easy to change a lifetime habit and it's to your credit you have tried even if you failed. You just need a little support and guidance.

Nutrition gave me back my life from a debilitating illness. I am so grateful to have my life back. The power of nutrition amazed me so much I then went on to earn a Masters in Holistic Nutrition. My mission and passion is to help you realize the benefits of a nutrition-aware lifestyle. Normalize your weight, have more energy, feel better! Help yourself to have a well life.

Are you ready to transition to a healthy lifestyle? Lose weight? Have more energy? Feel good?

Don't try.....DO.
Time isn't waiting for you.

My offer still stands: Free health coaching (once a week 30 minutes, unlimited email contact) with your purchase of the Shrink It Weight Loss system http://tinyurl.com/c5n4eo

Even if you don't need to lose weight you do need to eat well, exercise and take a quality multi-nutrition supplement http://tinyurl.com/37plfv .

Time isn't waiting for you.
Don't try, DO.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Oh Don't Worry Bout It, That's Just Aging

That's the biggest lie ever.
And one of the most life-threatening.

Oh don't worry bout it.... that's just aging. HA!

Your body is geared to health. Your immune system is the body's computer programmed to keep things running smoothly. In fact, your body can heal itself if given the nutrition tools it
needs to do the job. You've seen this when you've cut yourself, scraped a knee or broken a bone. I've seen it in a bigger way... nutrition helped my body beat Lupus.

A steady diet of unhealthy choices causes inflammation in your body.
That inflammation causes the symptoms most people attribute to aging.
Inflammation is your body's biggest enemy.

YOUR choices determine your quality of health. Dr Dean Ornish recently did a study which showed nutrition and lifestyle choices can turn on or off bad DNA. We have an amazing amount of control over the quality of our health.

See for yourself ... watch this video http://tinyurl.com/47avy7

So it's NOT just aging..... it's YOUR CHOICES!

Is your convenience/junk food habit worth how it's making you feel?
Is it worth what it's doing to your self-esteem?
Are you tired all the time?

What you put in your body drives your health one of two paths.
It either supports your health or drives you away from health.

Are you ready to transition to a healthy eating regimen and lifestyle?
Ready to make better choices?
Ready to lose weight?
Feel better?
Have more energy?

Along with a healthy eating regimen and moderate exercise the components of the Shrink It Weight Loss system :

VitaOne - nutrition
Appetizer Diet Cookie and Shake - fiber, protein, appetite control
Crave Energy Drink - energy
Omega 3- fat burning

provide 4 Key Solutions To Permanent Weight Loss.

Don't know where to start?
Need help transitioning to a healthy eating regimen?
My offer stands: Free health coaching with your purchase of the Shrink It Weight Loss System. http://pams.shrinkitweightloss.com/ Now there's every reason for success!

Here's an awesome recipe:

BLUEBERRY SHAKE

1 1/2 cups soy milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Vanilla appetizer diet shake

In a blender blend frozen blueberries and soy milk.
Pour into a shaker cup
Add 2 scoops Vanilla appetizer diet shake
Shake.
Enjoy!!!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Who Makes Stupid Choices?

The answer to that question is simple. Be honest. The body doesn't make stupid choices, WE DO.

It's tough isn't it? We have stupid choices thrown at us everyday. Turn on the tv or pick up a magazine and we see people eating fast foods, microwavable foods, pizza, drinking soda and sucking down french fries like they are going out of style. And THEN taking an antacid! Not a wise choice in the bunch.

In fact, stop and think about it...... humans are the only creature on earth which feed their young junk food.

WHOA! that realization is a mind-boggler, huh!

It's even dumber... that we expect them to grow up healthy after feeding them junk.

How stupid is that?

Even stupider.... we wonder why cancer is the leading cause of death in kids and why we are seeing Type 2 diabetes in kids.

TIME to get a grip folks!

Kids aren't getting cancer and type 2 diabetes, nor are adults getting diabetes, cancer, heart disease or any other disorder because they have a deficiency in pharmaceuticals ...... disease stems from a deficiency of nutrients! Pharmaceuticals do not create wellness...... nutrients create wellness.

The human body is geared to lean toward health ... that's what your immune system does. It's our responsibility to give the immune system the "tools" to keep us healthy. Sooo who makes stupid choices? Not our body. We do.

Are you ready to eat healthy, lose weight, turn to a healthy lifestyle? http://pams.shrinkitweightloss.com My offer stands.... free health coaching with the purchase of the Shrink It Weight Loss System. I'm here to support you. I know you can do it.

Today was weigh day for me...... I lost 3 lbs this week!

What are you waiting for?